Coming off a 14-15 record and a quarter-final finish, the La Salle varsity baseball team is now trying to show why they belong on top. 

After losing six seniors last year, the Falcons are now looking to the younger athletes on the team to step up with the ultimate goal of being able to “keep on going strong and really show that we can be good this year,” senior captain Will Robles said.

Many players have been playing together for years even outside of the La Salle program and they are hoping that their close bond will help them play better together. “[Baseball is] just cheering people on and picking people up,” junior Max Bishop said, highlighting the importance of having a good relationship throughout the team.

“We’re all pretty committed and ready for the baseball season,” senior captain Anders Bergler said. Coming off last season, the team got straight into practice during the summer, including summer ball games to get the team prepared for the next season. 

Along with that, the team has been doing a lot of offseason training during the winter. With constant rain during the winter and the start of spring, the team is hoping for good weather soon. The baseball team continues to practice nearly every day of the week.

“We’ve been scrimmaging as much as we can when it gets warm,” Bishop said. They are also hitting in the batting cages, and throwing to each other all to prepare for the tough competition ahead.

The team is not just about playing baseball, but it is about making a safe and fun community. “As a captain, I just want to make that bond even closer,” Robles said. One way in which they try to achieve this is through “kangaroo court,” where, throughout the season, everyone takes note of rememberable quotes that teammates have said, and at some point during the season these comments are brought to a “jury,” composed of the team captains, who determine if they are “guilty,” as a fun activity to help the team bond. Another way they strengthen their bond is through team dinners, which help the team grow closer both on and off the field.

The baseball team does an out-of-state trip every year to play against hard competition from around the country, and this year the team will be traveling to Scottsdale, Arizona for spring break where they will be playing teams from California, Colorado, and Arizona. “It’s going to be big for us to see how we handle those better teams,” Bergler said. The team doesn’t just plan to play there, they also plan on spending time as a team, whether it is swimming in the pool, watching a movie, or going to the waterpark, they are looking forward to a fun time together.

As the season is starting, the team will have a game on Thursday, March 14 at 4:30 p.m. at La Salle.