Every year when baseball season begins, pictures of 95 mile-per-hour fastballs and 400-foot home runs come to mind. However, the baseball team recognizes that it will not amaze fans with astonishing plays.

“We’re not a team that’s going to blow you away,” said senior co-captain Foster Donnell. “That’s why it’s important that we do the little things that we can control like bunting, hit and runs, stealing bases, and stealing signs.”

The team, however, is still working on executing the little things and playing smart baseball.

“It’s frustrating that we can’t perfect the simple things like catching a ball, making contact, or getting a bunt down,” said junior Ryan Ritz.”

We are good at the advanced things like pickoffs, cut-offs, and throws from third to first, so once we fix the easier stuff we will be in good shape.”

The team has gotten off to a shaky start with a record of 2-6 (0-0), but attributes its play to the rainy weather which has greatly decreased its practice time.

“It’s hard to play a game without being able to simulate game-like situations in practice,” Ryan said. “It makes a huge difference to be able to hit on the field instead of just using the cages because you get a sense of what it’s like to hit off a live pitching arm.”

The approaching sunny weather bodes well for the team as it will have more time to practice on the field.

As for competition, the team is not focused on which teams are the best, but on how it can perform at its greatest potential.  

“[Curt] Lowry (Varsity Baseball Head Coach) always says it’s not the opponent that you should be worried about but it’s yourself,” Ryan said. “You just have to hit and field the ball and not worry about who you are playing.”

Junior Jacob Stern is the newest addition to the outfield and he understands his role on the team.

“Jacob shows that he is able to execute plays and be consistent,” Ryan said. “He is not trying to hit bombs or make a huge play, but he is executing the basic stuff that will really help the team.”

The players are starting to figure out their specific roles on the team that will be vital to its success this year.

Counter games will require multiple trips to Houston and San Antonio for the team, so it needs to make sure it finds the appropriate role for each player by then.

The hardest part in competing for the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Division-I (D-I) Championship is making D-I.

If the team makes it to D-I, it is confident that it will have a legitimate chance at contending for the title.

“Once you’re in D-I you basically just see what happens, because in baseball anything is possible and you don’t necessarily have to be the best team in order to win,” Foster said.

The loss of starting pitcher Paul Stanley ’09 weakens the pitching staff as he provided consistency throughout the season.

However, the team is hopeful that sophomore Jason Girson can help restore some of the pitching.

“Jason has shown that he is able to pitch very well, and it is useful to have a left-handed pitcher that can throw strikes,” Ryan said.

The team is not as talented on paper as in recent years, but is hoping that its leadership can help it down the stretch to continue its three-year streak of D-I appearances. 

“We may not be the most talented team in SPC, but the older guys have convinced us to work hard, and we are 100 percent committed to making this season a success,” said sophomore Nick Brienzi.

The athletic department’s most recent addition is the new baseball clubhouse that was finished in late February. 

The clubhouse has finally been completed after a couple years of discussions within the athletic department. 

The baseball fields are father away from the locker rooms than any of the other training facilities, which caused many problems for the baseball team.            

“The baseball program was having some serious problems with nowhere to get dressed for practice in a timely manner,” said Curt Lowry, Baseball Head Coach. “We are so far away from everything else, we needed to be closer to the field.”

The clubhouse now features Major League Baseball style wooden lockers, a retractable batting cage with an accompanying electric pitching machine, a bullpen for pitchers to practice, and a television with a DVD player for viewing game footage.

The area also has a small amount of weights for players to exercise with and garage doors that retract to let sunlight in.

The building was originally an old bus barn that was being utilized as a storage complex by the Maintenance Department. 

With the need for a clubhouse, the athletic department decided to renovate the bus barn rather than build an entirely new complex on campus. 

Coach Lowry said he believes that construction of the clubhouse is a step in the right direction for the baseball team. 

“It is going to be huge for the development of the players. With this new area we can throw bullpens for the pitchers and continue hitting and actually working on baseball skills not just conditioning,” he said.

Senior co-captain Foster Donnell said he believes that the newly built clubhouse gives the team the identity it has been wanting and badly needing.

“The clubhouse gives the baseball team a new home and a place to call our own, not only now but for the future,” he said.

The players also said the clubhouse makes practice time more efficient.

 It also gives them more opportunities to get work done, especially when bad weather prevents the team from using the field.

“The clubhouse gives us the opportunity to get more work done on days that otherwise wouldn’t allow us to,” said junior
Cameron Burk.

The team also said that having a united place to meet each day brings the players closer together.

“It brings us closer together as a team,” Cameron said, “There is a team bonding aspect of it. Just coming in, turning the music on, getting some hacks in, and just having that laid-back atmosphere is important.”