Only a month into their season, South’s baseball teams have already faced the cancellation of over 35 freshman, JV, and varsity games. Rainy weather has affected the baseball season, causing frustration throughout the program, Head Coach Steve Stanicek said.

The gloomy, wet conditions have challenged Staincek’s hopes for the Titans to continue their success from last season to this year.

“[It is] incredibly frustrating but we cannot control the weather,” Stanicek said. “I feel horrible for the athletes.”

After a conference title and regional championship last year, Stanicek aims to achieve a similar outcome this season.

“We are just looking forward to expanding on the success we had last year,” Stanicek said. “Many juniors [from last year] who got a lot of experience playing are now seniors, and we are looking for big things from them.”

The overall impact that seniors bring to the team is significant in South’s success and is felt all throughout the team, Stanicek said. Junior pitcher Jason Ban said the camaraderie on the team was built from past experiences and continues to grow.

“We have a lot of returners from last year which is good because our coach is all about us having team chemistry,” Ban said. “Last year, our seniors brought [underclassmen] in, and they were really tight and we all bonded.”

Having a locker room is a simple benefit that senior shortstop James Hackett said was not felt during e-learning. Hackett acknowledged the influence of returning to a regulated schedule as opposed to last year’s will help everyone feel comfortable and ready to play.

The bonds created on and off the field make for a tight group, junior Luke Marino said.  Marino believes being able to get back to the normalcy of team activities has improved the overall dynamic.       

“After practices, we go out to eat, which is really good for [our] team bonding. [We have] a really tight group of juniors and seniors,” Marino said.

In baseball, your position is your own responsibility and in order to have a successful team, it comes down to each player individually, Stanicek said.        

“You’re by yourself out [on the field],” Stanicek said. “When the ball hits and you’re standing in the batter spot or you’re on the pitcher’s mound, it’s up to you to get it done.”

As the pre-season weight lifting started to fade into the official baseball season, the build-up and anticipation for baseball at South has begun, Marino said.

“This team is really strong and has a great chance to go farther than we did last year and I’m excited for this season,” Marino said.