The Knightly News

Baseball wrapped up its last game on Tuesday, May 20, bringing a close to a successful season.  The team finished the year with a 12-9 win-loss record.

The team  gained momentum as the season progressed, beating South, an archrival and this year’s Mercer Country Tournament champions, at the annual David Bachner game after losing to South earlier in the season.  “We’re in the game throughout the innings, not just the first five,”junior Sid Kumar said. “That’s how we lost a lot of games last year.”

Their improvements from last year are evident and impressive.  Most of the team this year had little varsity experience—according to coach Michael Santoro, “every player in the infield was brand new,” yet the team still managed to make 30 fewer errors than last year. “We were so successful this year because more often than not we made plays, hit with runners in scoring position, and pitched out of some pretty tough jams,” Santoro said. “If a team can do this they will be successful more often than not, and this year, they did just that.”

The Knights have also learned to rely on each other and work as a unit to secure wins. “The team has improved on winning close games and playing better defense,” senior Nick Meduski said.

Camaraderie within the team has helped as well.  According to multiple players, the guys have developed strong friendships.  Junior Ben Arias put it simply: “We all like each other.”

Not only have they improved overall, but many of the players have earned individual recognition.  Senior Christian Waters  pitched two no-hitters, while senior Mike Mazzeo ended with a batting average of .475. Junior Sid Kumar has hit six homeruns and was recently nominated for best infielder in the state.

With six seniors graduating this year, the team’s efforts will leave not only  a positive memory, but also a lasting precedent of what it takes to make a solid team.

“This team, unlike others, went into games with an expectation to win instead of hoping to win.” Santoro said.  “Having confidence playing a game can push you to do things you never thought you could do and for the most part this team did that.”