For most athletes, the first game of the season is one of the most important. Some believe it sets the course for the rest of the season while others just want to start off the season with a bang. On Tuesday February 27th, our very own Titan Varsity Baseball Team played Lyman at our home field. The Titans started off the game on a rough note. In the beginning, the score was 0-1 in favor of Lyman.

“On Tuesday, when we started the game we were kind of out of focus,” senior Timothy Reahl said. “But, then we all realized that no matter who we’re playing, we have to play to our highest ability.”

When our boys realized they needed to titan up, that is exactly what they did. The end score came out to be 7-1 in favor of our home titans; a fantastic turnaround. Baseball is known as a very mental sport. The players are always in their head and this was shown to be true as the boys let their doubts get in their minds.

“With our team, I think it just takes us a little bit to actually get in the game,” senior Ben Gaul said. “Especially based on our come back on Tuesday I think that every game going forward we’re going to be in there [the game] and we’re going to dominate.”

As a team, they have all had years of practice together and know how to work together. However, this year, the team was faced with an exciting challenge: a new coach. Coach Jake Norman joined Titan baseball after previous coach Frank Martello’s retirement. Since it was their first time getting to showcase their new team dynamic at our home field, the boys were somewhat anxious. The change was something necessary but for many of the boys, it was hard to adapt to, after years of training one way under one person.

“We still have to try to impress him [Norman],” sophomore William Quinones said. “We’re always trying to give 110 percent to impress him. We wouldn’t really do that for Martello because we had people like Logan Allen and all those ace pitchers, but now we all have to do our part in every aspect to make sure we’re meeting Norman’s standards.”

The change didn’t come without patience and work. All in all, practices are run smoothly, and the team has fun. Come game time, they are prepared and all of them know what they need to do.

“There’s not much preparation that we go through,” junior Anthony Perez said. “We really just practice all week and then when it comes game time everyone just kicks into the game mentality and once you get out there [the field] you just go.”

No matter what, it is important to the team that they enjoy the game. They show how they have prepared, as well as how they are confident in everything they do. They have become more than just individuals, they are now a team; bonded. They have become their own little clique and have created some traditions. One of the boy’s favorite comes when they aren’t even playing.

“We make up fun words to yell in the dugout'” junior Jarret Hart said. “They really have no purpose, it’s mostly just to mess with the opposing team and make them wonder what we’re saying.”

In all, the boys exceedingly enjoy the game. Tuesday was able to reveal to them some things about their performance as a team as well as individuals that leaves a window for improvement. Confidence is something that all these boys possess and they all have high hopes for the rest of this season; as do we.