The hot sun blares down on the crowd in the bleachers casting a warm glow over the players. The smell of fresh cut grass and excited chatter floats through the air while the players take the field. The JV team’s undefeated run against NCC came to an end with their first loss since April 7, 2026. Throughout the game the team faced challenges that challenged their determination, skills and leadership.
The team’s performance was marked by moments of frustration as the team struggled to meet their expectations.
“Some challenges we faced were not being able to play the way we know we can and we got about seven hits that weren’t really great and we know we can do better than that,” Andrew Meyers (10) said.
The team struggled to bring their all to the game. Despite being successful in the past against NCC the team fell short, leaving room for improvements in future games.
“I feel like we could’ve played better as a team throughout the entire game, especially considering we’ve already beaten NCC three times by quite a bit. If we could’ve limited walks and been more productive at the plate I think there definitely would have been a different outcome,” Zac Crawford (10) said.
Even though the team showed flashes of strong offensive potential in the beginning, the team’s inconsistency in batting became very noticeable throughout the game.
“But that game we couldn’t hit the ball even though everyone can hit the ball. We struggled to back up our pitchers. We can hit the ball really well and then we struggle to field the ball and that causes us to make errors and mistakes,” Meyers (10) said.
As the game progressed, the team’s pressure increased and their connection on the field started to weaken. Small mistakes started to turn into bigger problems as the team stopped lifting each other up and communicating.
“We struggled with communicating to each other whose ball is whose and we struggled with not getting frustrated with our teammates when we make a mistake as well as keeping our hopes high even when we were losing,” Braden McDowell (10) said.
As NCC started to take the lead, the team started to lose their hope. Keeping their spirits up and encouraging their team became a challenge for the team as the game went on.
“Our struggle with the team is that we need to have more fire in the dug out. More people to step up when it’s needed.” Gavin Wiggins (11) said.
Even during the tense moments, the team fought forward to stay focused on keeping their composure rather than letting the mistakes and pressure affect their performance. The team shifted to relying on each other to keep their spirits and confidence high during the close game even when the momentum shifted halfway through.
“We handled our pressure well, especially when we went into the extra innings. It was a very close game and we just have to remember the chips don’t fall and the hitting goes bad so we just have to keep going,” Quentin Tomlin (10) said.
Long practice and close games have allowed the team to build trust in one another throughout the tiring season. Though the team has their moments, their connection and how they care for each other has been seen throughout the season.
“We care about each other and if someone has a bad hit we bring them up and we are always looking out for each other,” Dominic Paolucci (10) said.
As the season continues, the team is determined on improving small details that can make a huge difference in close games. The team is ready to work on and off the field to ensure they succeed in their upcoming games.
“We know going forward in order to make the playoffs and beat NCC we have to practice communication and making sure we know plays are like the back of our hand. We also need to work on our communication skills,” Tomlin (10) said.
After facing multiple challenges this season, the team has used those experiences to motivate them to improve their skills. The players have spent practices working on what weakens their team and building confidence so they insure they are ready for the fights to come.
“We are ready to make a comeback and have been practicing keeping our cool and working on pitching as well as batting to make sure we are the best we can be to beat NCC,” Bo Schlarman (10) said.
As the JV team continues their journey throughout the 2025-2026 season they will face NCC for one final game on May 8 before the playoffs. The team will continue to work tirelessly until then to ensure that they are more than prepared to face the Thoroughbreds.
