Wakefield’s varsity baseball team holds both gifted players and strong bonds, creating a well-rounded combination for success. Their strategy, consisting of perseverance, heavy practice and endurance, is a large factor in the team’s strong performance, landing them 13-9 in the season. The positive environment between players and the coach will remain strong, as the players and their coach continue to work hard to keep their spot in the conference.
Forming such an efficient team requires key tactics and perspectives to be carried out. Coach Trever Schock has been coaching the Wakefield boys baseball team for almost five years. He loves watching the players grow, eventually seeing them go off and pursue their dreams and passions after high school.
“My favorite part is watching the boys come in as ninth graders and mature, learn the game and become better people,” Schock said. “[I also like] watching them go on to some other passions they have after high school.”
This season, he has been working with the players to sharpen their physical performance and heighten their mental understanding of baseball. Schock pushes his players to the limit, which involves difficult practices. Yet, on and off the field, he is there for them, always ready to help them back on their feet after a fall.
“When it is time to go, it’s just all about performing when the pressure is on,” Schock said. “We just have to check in, make sure things are correct and try to better ourselves.”
Coach Schock is the “behind the scenes” of their team, but the players remain the main event. Freshman Sam Piscork, who plays third base and pitches on the team, speaks on how big a role friendship is on the field.
“As a team, our biggest strengths are chemistry,” Piscork said. “Having fun with each other is always a big deal.”
The team has had some hard games and losses. Yet on this bumpy ride, the players have kept a positive attitude and persevered to where they are now. Junior Ethan Wisler, a pitcher and outfielder, speaks on his strategy for getting back on track after a rough game.
“Usually I just remind myself [that] it’s just high school sports,” Winsler said. “It’s all about having fun.”
Winsler also speaks on the positive impact the coach has on him and the other players.
“Our coach is very uplifting,” Winsler said. “They encourage us even when we’re not doing our best and he makes sure we’re doing OK.”
These athletes have pushed to new heights by working hard on the field with demanding practices and off the field, putting their academics and education first. Sophomore Mikey Katz, a catcher on the team, talks about how he and his team could always improve as a whole.
“We need to be more as a team than our individual selves,” Katz said. “Whether we win or lose, it is the same goal every day.”
Baseball does not just give players a physical challenge but also supplies them with important skills used in everyday life. Sophomore Kyler Gold, an outfielder, speaks on the life lessons he learns from being on this team
“[Baseball] is not just a sport,” Kyler said. “It also makes life connections, friendships and [teaches] lifelong lessons.”
In essence, baseball is more than just a sport, as seen with the needed strategy of perseverance, vital lessons and everlasting brotherhood. Each athlete, always being ready to catch one another when they fall, conveys that this high school baseball team will solidify a core memory for each boy to help develop their futures.
“We’re still grinding every day to get better,” Schock said. “It is just another good group of kids.”
