Batter up! The great American sport, baseball, has started its season. South’s varsity team is led well by Coach Don Hutchinson and Captain Sean Austin Hodges, a senior at South. The varsity team is made up of fifteen players.

    Coach Walter Conner leads the junior varsity team.  The junior varsity team has four captains: junior Seungha Jung, sophomore Morgan Mayer, sophomore Matt Thibault, and sophomore Matt Dorfman.

    During practice, the team focuses on its strategy and teamwork. As Hodges said, “Our teamwork is good […] we have a lot of talent on our team. We’re definitely going to improve as the season goes on.”

    Games began in April. The team beat Princeton Day School with a score of 14-6. They scored 14-2 against Lawrence High School and 9-3 against Princeton High School.

    Coach Conner said, “The team puts [in] a lot of effort. They get better and better [throughout] the year.”

    Not only is teamwork important, but so is each player’s passion for baseball, as it motivates them to work harder.

    Every individual player tries their best to improve. They all have experience in baseball and they use these skills to further develop their abilities.

    Mayer said, “I mean, [baseball] is a sport that I really love. I’ve been playing it since I was a little kid. It’s kind of my life.”

    Passion drives the team’s interest in the sport to the fullest while also helping them learn. Hodges reflected, “I’ve started playing probably since kindergarten with T-ball. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and stuck with for all this time.”

    As the season continues, the team will grow closer and stronger. As Coach Conner said, “There is no disunity when they’re unified.”

PHOTO BY GRACE CHOE