The baseball team has been a close-knit team for many years now,This year is no different, even through tribulations and trials, they have always stuck together as a team. When people look at the baseball team, they don’t just see a group of boys; they see a family. At Cass, the teams are taught that they are one big family, and that definitely shows. Senior Bailey Berry says, “ Since the first of this season, we have gotten closer as a team and become closer to each other.” Even with the long season and with the school, they still find time to bond with one another and make sure they are working together as a team and are not going to have problems on the field. At the beginning of the season, the team was feeling pretty good with Conner Corbin saying, “We were looking alright but had room to improve, but were better than past years.” This statement stands true with the JV team having their first win in 3 years. The JV squad has had to go through a lot of changes this season with the addition of 8th graders joining the team.
Being on a team means that there will be ups and downs, and with that, problems will arise. They are still playing for more than just themselves. Berry says, “The team has a bunch of great fellows, and they all understand that they are a team and even through problems that they may have, they still have to play as a team. When asked if they have improved since their first game, Corbin states, “Yes, we have had higher batting averages and also have been able to work better as a team.” With the team ending their non-region games and going into their region games, they are very confident in their abilities to play well and not have conflicts within their team.
The head coach of the team, Matt Thompson, said he felt very good coming into this season and just had a few concerns about the pitchers. With 10 seniors leaving and 7 of them being stars for the colonels, they had a lot to work through. Also, this season brought a new challenge to the team, sharing the JV team with 8th graders. With 8 graders going to the JV team and the freshman team, it gives the team depth to make sure that players can have breaks and still get into the game, and help the 8th graders get better. When asked how the team is doing with the changes of adding 8th graders, Coach Thompson said, “They are coming along great together as a team and working well together.”
With the season about halfway done and the team going into their region game, they have built great team chemistry. Even with the ups and downs that the team has had to endure, they have still come together as a team. With the JV team winning their first game since 2020, they are feeling very good about their season. The varsity team is looking great with Chase Tatum and other starters that are helping them lead to victory. Coach Thompson has a lot of hope for both of these teams and thinks that their varsity team, if they can get some kinks out, will make it to the playoffs this year.
