2015 Baseball Springs Into Action
Now that winter is slowly melting away, spring sports are budding their way in.
Waverly High School baseball has started with practices and conditioning to prepare for the mid-March season opener.
Coaches are starting to watch the players’ strengths and weakness to get an idea of who will be a part of the nine starting positions on the field.
“Our coaches look for effort, the willingness to accept teaching, competing, knowledge and execution in practices,” head coach Mike Goodrich said. “We know who has been lifting, running, hitting pitching and participating in other sports during our off season, so our staff considers this element as a part of our expectations and practice assessment too.”
The players focus on enjoying the sport while increasing their skill at the same time.
“All of us have to focus each practice and honestly just stay loose. We like to have a good time, but when it’s time to get something done in practice all of us are ready to go,” junior Justin Lawrence said.
Seniors lead the team and serve as role models to the underclassmen.
“We strive to leave practice exhausted and not to dog it on any reps, because a lot of the time, reps are few and far between,” senior Christian Dauel said.
For upcoming freshmen, experiencing this new atmosphere is something that can be scary.
Coaches play a huge role in making them feel welcomed and confident.
“I would tell a freshman, ‘Welcome to our team. Be ready to work hard, have fun and join a group that will have your back, pick you up when you fall, and share in your success. A lot of life lessons are learned on the diamond, prepare to learn about yourself and those around you’,” Goodrich said.
Aside from the coaches, players create a bond with their teammates and help them be the best they can.
“I would tell the freshmen to not overthink it and just play ball. Have fun and relax and you will do just fine,” Lawrence said.
As the season inches forward, coaches start to think about what they need to do in order to strive for success.
“We will need to have a team first mentality in order to be successful,” Goodrich said.
Goals are starting to be set for each individual player as well as the the team as a whole.
“We are positive that not only how we do things, but why we do them will better our performance. We are going to enhance what we have and improve what we don't have,” Goodrich said.
Players think about their goals before the season starts to start working towards them.
“We want to come back from last year and make it back to the state tournament,” Dauel said.
Many players have the same goals as their teammates.
“We want to make it to state. Our team is full of talent and I know if we just focus on 1 game at a time we can make that happen,” Lawrence said
The boys take on some of the highest competition right off the bat, facing Northeast, Norris and Gretna on March 19, 20 and 21. With a positive mindset and a hard-work attitude, the team is prepared for success.
