Starting off the season with a bang, the Westminster Varsity Baseball Team went to Florida over Spring Break and came back with a 5-0 winning streak.
“We outscored the opposition teams 52-17 and had a .485 team batting average. The boys had had an ERA of 2.48 and only made 1.8 errors per game, which was an impressive start. Luckily, the weather in Florida was perfect for us and enabled us to start off the season well. We have high hopes for the rest of the season,” said Rich Van Gilst, Varsity head coach.
“In one of the games in Florida we were down 6-0 and ended up coming back and winning. It was great because even though we were down, I knew we would not lose. Our team chemistry is so great and we are never out of a game,” said Alec Mitchell, senior.
In between games, the team had team bonding and enjoyed the luxuries of the beach and the warm weather. They initiated the new members by shaving heads and got closer as a team.
“Spring Break was a lot of fun! We really bonded as a team. The best part of the trip was going 5-0 and everyone played really well. Each game is something we look forward to. We don’t really look straight to districts and beyond, but we take each game as seriously as the next. We have our goals set high this year. Everyone has bought in to the fact that we are a team with great potential. It is up to us to improve as the season goes on, through hard work in order to reach our goals,” said Ryan Allee, senior.
“Spring Break was awesome! Living together really forces people to bond or clash, but fortunately we all bonded. Although my hair is gone, I had an awesome time with all of the guys and going 5-0 didn’t hurt either. I’m looking forward to being able to play with all these guys the rest of the year. This is one of the closest net group of guys I have been around and that makes playing ball even more fun,” said Connor Larson, junior.
I’m looking forward to continuing to work hard and win some games with my teammates. We have a large amount of potential and talent on our team. Beyond that, our work effort and attitude to all the aspects of this game will further determine whether we can reach our goal of wining a state championship,” said Connor Larson, junior.
The team has been practicing hard for the upcoming regular season games and also played four games in the Parkway Central Tournament.
The boys have a strong coaching staff with Van Gilst as the head coach, Slade Johnson as the assistant coach and Andy Benes as the pitching coach. They each get individual instruction, which adds another dimension to how they play.
“As a pitching coach, my job is to get to know my pitchers both on the mound and what makes them tick. It’s also important to give them encouragement and some reference points with their individual deliveries so that they can make adjustments during a game and be as successful as they can. I expect this team to compete to the best of their ability each game and to be playing their best baseball at the end of the season,” said Andy Benes, pitching coach.