Danielle Ledgerwood
Since the beginning of the season, the boys baseball team had their sights set on one thing: CIF finals. They knew coming into the season how much they had to work to return to the same round they won last year. However, the team hoped to utilize the momentum of last year’s CIF Championship to push them all the way this season.
“All of the players came together and had great seasons,” junior Cole Mason said. “We rebounded off of last year’s win in the championship, knowing we could win again.”
Due to last year’s victory, there was also a new standard to be met by the team.
“After winning last year, we expect a lot of ourselves,” senior Zach Martirano said. “There was definitely a lot of pressure to overcome.”
They accomplished a lot this season, defeating opponents such as Poway, Westview, and Canyon Crest Academy, to name a few, with the final victory against CCA advancing MC into the semi-final round of CIFs, taking place June 3, 2014 against Mount Miguel.
Overall, regardless of the wins and losses along the way, each player made memories, and they grew closer as a team.
“We bonded especially well this year,” Mason said. “We had lots of fun on and off the field, whether it was going out to dinner or going to someone’s house.”
After everything the team went through together this year, next year will be especially hard without the many seniors who helped make this team special.
“The seniors this year held the team together,” Mason said. “We had Zach Martirano, Justin Valdez, and Matt Devine on the mound and Keith Anderson, Nick Romano, Jordan Jacobson, and Kory Fox hitting away!”
However, it’s not just their skills and talent that will be absent next year, but also their friendship and leadership.
“Without this strong group of guys, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we did,” Mason said. “The seniors this year held the team together. They are great kids and teammates. Their attitudes on and off the field and attributes to the game will be greatly missed.”
Even with a victory over Mount Miguel, each and every game of playoffs threatens to be the last, if the team doesn’t continue to win. Each game determines the next step in the process, and the boys hope to make it all the way to the end, and hold on as long as they can.
Zac Solomon | Photographer
