By Hayden Sampson

There are few things better than the feeling of winning, and it does not always stick around. However, the Tempe Prep boys baseball team is enjoying that feeling right now. With a total 6-1 record, as well as a 4-0 in the division and a 5-game winning streak, you could say the team is doing good work.

This year, like everything else, is different. Besides the fact that seeds are not allowed to be chewed in the dugout (which is a big deal), the season is drastically more compressed, which means a lot more games in shorter amounts of time.

Says senior Spencer Bodow, “Three games a week is a lot to handle, and I’m impressed with how we’ve done so far.” He also mentioned how high the stakes are this year, “We didn’t get last year of baseball, so for a lot of us, this is kinda what we have left. We need to really utilize it.”

With things going well so far, the team has had some great moments. One came in a very important region game against Superior, when Cole Rotner pitched a shutout, allowing no runs against a highly rated team. In addition, Spencer Bodow had a diving catch to get a foul ball and end the inning.

Lastly, in the most recent game against San Manuel, junior catcher Diego Foster hit an inside-the-park home run, an impressive feat which inspired the team to storm the field and congratulate him. While it was later learned that running onto the field is looked down upon, a homerun is an impressive feat nonetheless.

While the season so far has gone rather smoothly, the team has a few more trials to go. They have a re-match with Superior scheduled, as well as a game against a tough team in Ray. Junior Jacob Dendy says, “If we can get our hitting down and tighten a few things up, we are going to be really scary.”

Head coach Sullivan has mentioned multiple times that baseball requires a different mentality. “In baseball, you get out a majority of the time, so all we really have to do is be more successful than the other guys.” So far, they have done just that.

Coach Sullivan has high expectations for his team, but so far they have been up to the task. With some big challenges coming up, our boys will definitely be put to the test. Don’t hesitate to come support them and find out what the fuss is all about. Go Knights!