Baseball starts season training in Kansas City

Andrew Wilcek, Social Media Editor

 

The baseball team is starting off another season and is hoping to thrive off their ability to play as a team in past seasons. The goal for the team each year is to compete for a Conference and Section title. This means the team can not afford to have a down season. The team has a few key players with experience from multiple years of experience, including seniors Thomas Bruchu, Austin Murr, Ben Peterson and Graham Laubscher. They look to stay competitive for their final season.

Tryouts for varsity this season are in Kansas City this year over the school’s spring break. The players will not have . The trip will consist of mostly juniors and seniors, but four sophomores are also going on the trip.

Last year, the team went to Florida for tryouts. Senior Captain Austin Murr said, “Last years trip was not the best. We went to the beach twice, we all got to play in maybe one game, and it was a big commitment for not a lot of baseball.” Things this year seem to be looking better.

The team has organized to play paintball in Kansas City as a team bonding activity, and some fun for the players. The boys have signed up before hand, also they are attending Skyzone and bowling. These activities give the trip more of a vacation for the players, so the trip is not all baseball.

Murr said, “This year I think will be a lot better, every night we will have a different activity and we will have more free time. And it is not as big of a commitment.”

Senior Trevor Eder-Zdechlik said, “It was incredibly fun and going to Florida really took out the stress part of the tryouts. The tryouts were basically practices rather than evaluators watching you, which I think really helped kids show their true potential.”

The trip is not free however it costs a couple hundred dollars, for it includes bus fare, rooms, paintball, bowling and Skyzone. Players going on the trip are given opportunities to fundraise throughout the offseason.

Murr said, “Cub bagging and volunteering with Stillwater Area and Lake Elmo youth baseball tryouts.”

There are a lot of strong players returning this year. All of the captains look to make an impact on the mound this year. In the preseason it looks like Eder-Zdechlik and Peterson will shape up the middle infield with Murr at first, Bruchu at third and Stanton behind the plate. Senior Laubscher will make an impact in the outfield, with Daniels.

Coach Mike Parker said, “Team goals are to compete for a conference championship and section championship, to play in the final game of sections.”

Baseball is a sport that has been around for years and had formed many close relationships and lifelong relationships. The baseball team is a group of tight-knit players who have spent most of their spring and summers together for the past couple years. Dedicated to the game, they hope for a possible state championship bid.

Murr said, “As a team goal, I would say our goal is to make it to the state tournament, we have a very deep and experienced senior class and we know what it takes. We made it to the VFW state tournament as sophomores and placed 4th with a 34-7 record. “They have all developed over the past few years and have grown even better.

The boys are dedicated and hope to have one last run their senior year at a state championship bid. The bond that has formed between this group of seniors in unbreakable. Eder-Zdechlik reflected on it as he said, “Everyone shares the same passion for the game. I really like the team aspect of it and how you come together with your friends to do something special.”