Take me out to the ballgame
Senior, Caleb Keith gets ready to pitch the ball.
It’s finally baseball season and the Wakefield team is ready to take it all the way to States. This year, players will take on a variety of competitive schools from Wake Forest High School to Panther Creek. With ten new players to varsity and 6 seniors heading off to college, the team believes they will have a successful season because of their drive to succeed and impressive teamwork skills.
Senior Zachary Lyon has been on the baseball team for two years. He enjoys the sense of community felt with the baseball team and has found life-long friends through wins, losses, and working through hard practices.
“Daily practices are physically demanding,” Lyon said. “We have in-and-outs, running, fielding, hitting; it’s pretty action-packed. However, my teammates have taught me the importance of teamwork and responsibility.”
With responsibility comes hard work, and Junior Colin McCrabb has experienced this as a new member of the varsity baseball team. McCrabb has been playing baseball ever since he was five years old, and has since learned a lot from being in such a positive and encouraging environment with players who look out for one another.
The Wakefield Men’s Baseball team watcyes the game from the dugout.
“I’ve learned about coming together with my brothers and getting better,” McCrabb said. “We need to put some things together, but I think we will be pretty good this season.”
With high hopes for this season and a hard work mentality, the players are able to work through tough practices every week.
Led by Coach Keown and Coach Boudreau, the players are encouraged to set challenging goals and work proficiently to achieve them. Coach Boudreau leads every day by example to help the athletes find their passion in baseball, education, and other areas of life.
“I went to college with my mind set on engineering,” Boudreau said. “I earned my engineering degree and went to work in corporate America but I got bored. It wasn’t until I watched the 1967 World Series, began coaching baseball in the late 70s, and eventually became a math teacher that I truly found my passion.”
Senior Caleb McRoy finds his coaches to be exemplary individuals in his life and continues to learn from them every day. He has enjoyed being a member of the team for three years and is excited to continue his baseball career next year at North Carolina Central University.
“ ,” McRoy said. “You need to focus on the game and know that your teammates have your back.”
In the upcoming weeks, the varsity baseball team will face many teams that will test their individual capabilities and put their hard work to the test. And for those eager to join these passionate, hard-working athletes on the field, keep Coach Boudreau’s words of wisdom in mind.
“Talk is cheap,” Boudreau said. “Put up or shut up.”
