The boys’ baseball team triumphantly reflects on their season after coming together as a team to clinch the Midland A League title despite a shaky start.

“The first couple games we were stressed out and getting mad at each other, because we all wanted to win and it wasn’t working out,” junior Alex Pappas said. “As we progressed, you could tell we were playing looser and trusting each other more.”

The team had to re-evaluate their game plan in order to work cohesively as a team.

“We just had to keep everyone positive and make sure everyone was practicing to their potential,” senior Matt Geoffrion said.

“I knew defensively, if we plugged a couple holes in there, that we were going to be solid,” coach Mike Mocerino said.

After making these adjustments, the team made a comeback, winning 15 out of their 20 games and securing the Midland A League title.

“It was just a matter of trying to find ways to be consistent and just coming together and playing well together,” Mocerino said.

According to Mocerino, the team continued to look ahead towards the rest of the season rather than dwell on the past.

“We didn’t panic, we knew we were capable of being a very good team,” Mocerino said.

Senior Nolan Kessinger attributes the team’s success to excellent chemistry.

“We’re all really close,” Kessinger said. “Definitely closer than we were in years past. Everyone feels close enough where they can get on each other if something went wrong.”

According to Mocerino, one skill players worked on immensely was hitting.

“I knew that one thing that we were going to consistently have to work on is hitting,” Mocerino said. “We worked hard on the small ball game, we worked hard on squeezes to try to manufacture more runs. We worked on our mechanics and consistency at the plate because we knew that we had to manufacture as many runs as we could.”

Kessinger is glad that the team got closer to reaching its full potential this year.

“It’s a great feeling to win the title,” Kessinger said. “It’s about the little things. Overall, it’s a pretty boring sport, but, when the little things happen that excite the guys, like when you get a big hit or big pitch, that’s what everyone plays for.”

According to Mocerino, this year’s team has set a high standard for future players.

“The bar is set high for next year, and I think that the juniors are ready for that challenge,” Mocerino said. “I think the tradition is set that if we work hard and come together as a team, we can accomplish good things. Although it didn’t end on the note we wanted, they can’t hold their heads and I think they need to be proud of the season they had.”