Carli Pew

A single bead of sweat fell between his shoulder blades as he walked up to home plate, his head down and his bat in hand. The sun pestered him from above as he tapped the end of the bat on the ground. His feet shifted into the batting stance, and when he lifted his head to look at the pitcher, it seemed as though every player on the field was holding their breath. He lifted his bat into the air, and whispered to himself, “eyes on the ball.”
Whether it’s pitching, catching, or being in the infield or outfield, many determined students were involved in spring baseball tryouts. Taking place the week of March 3rd-10th, 75 students put their all into proving themselves to baseball coaches Mr. McCabe and Mr. Ripa. Although the tryout experience brought each player their own set of challenges and rewards, they were all after the same goal; scoring themselves a spot on one of the teams.
The tryout process is meant to test and showcase each player’s star abilities, allowing the coaches to find the right blend of talent for their team. Although for some it might seem tedious, each drill and drop of sweat will only push them to improve, no matter if they make the team or not.
“Depending on the day we either do hitting or fielding,” freshman Wade Guthmiller said. “If we’re doing fielding we start off doing a mile run, then we stretch, do infield drills, play catch, and finally we do fielding drills.”
This year however, there was a slight interception in tryout week. While some days were perfect baseball weather, a snow day on Wednesday the 5th allowed the players a small break.
“My experience in tryouts has been quite long, but the weather has stopped us this year a little bit, which was nice,” freshman AJ Arnes said.
Since so many students tried out, it brings a new learning experience as the players interact and strive to be their best despite the talent around them.
“So far tryouts have been really exciting and it’s been fun meeting all these new players,” Guthmiller said. “But I’m also being challenged having to compete against them.”
A majority of the students are also involved in other sports as well as baseball, but for many, these particular tryouts carried extra anticipation due to their love of the sport.
“Baseball is the most fun I have in a sport,” Arnes said. “ I just enjoy the teamwork and being able to play the sport a lot.”
Baseball isn’t just about batting averages, home runs, and strikeouts. Instead, it connects with each player and impacts them in invisible and life-impacting ways.
“Baseball has a really important impact on my work ethic, and really helps me think about what else I want to do in my future,” Guthmiller said.
Despite each and every player’s love and dedication to baseball, with 75 players total, the odds can look overwhelming. Although there were 35 freshmen alone, and only about half of them were accepted on the team, this didn’t hinder the players’ determination.
“I think I have a high chance of making the team,” Arnes said. “I feel pretty good about how tryouts have gone so far.”
At the end of the day, tryouts are about whether or not the players make the team. It’s also about pushing themselves, bettering their skills, and testing each individual’s abilities against others’. But most importantly, it’s about students’ love and pursuit of baseball.