The Wakefield varsity baseball team secured their second conference win on Monday, April 17th against Heritage, leaving them 5th in the Northern Atlantic 4A and in good spirits as they head towards the end of conference play with an away game at Heritage on Thursday and games against Knightdale next week. Despite having a rocky start in their conference games, the boys have persevered and now stand 2-5 in their conference and 5-10 overall. 

“[We’ve got a] good group of young men that aren’t afraid to work,” coach Trevor Schock said. “We’ve had some ups and downs, [but we’re] trying to finish the year on a high note.”

With a large portion of the starting lineup injured or recovering, the team has had to overcome the obstacles that have come their way. Holden Cooper is a junior who has been on the varsity team all throughout his high school career and has had to adjust to his share of adversity. 

“[We’ve] had to [change] the lineup for each game, and people have had to go out and play new positions [that they may be unfamiliar with,]” Cooper said. “It’s definitely affected us, but we’re trying to figure out where everyone plays best.”

Though the boys have faced setbacks with injuries and accommodations to the new members of the varsity team, Cooper acknowledges that with every new season comes new challenges. 

“We need to start playing at [the same] standard we were at [last year,]” Cooper said.

After winning the Conference Tournament Championship last season, and finishing the year with a 19-7 overall record, the boys had a lot to live up to this season. 

Junior Braden Beyer plays shortstop for the Wolverines. He shares his input on how the team can finish the season strong.

“We’ve lost a couple of close games,” Beyer said. “But we are working hard to improve.”

The Wolverines are staying consistent with daily practices and team bonding to ensure success. With the season wrapping up as April comes to an end, the boys highlight the desire to finish the season strong.

“Even if we lose a game we got to get back out there and keep practicing,” sophomore Tyler Rotellini said. 

Beyer notes the impact that attitude and mindset have on performance. 

“We need to make sure that everyone brings their energy everyday,” Beyer said.