After 23 long years of bats swinging high in the air with anticipation, boys baseball (12-3-0) placed first in Pacific Coast League when against the dominating rival of Beckman High, according to coach Tim Murray.
Including its recent win against Beckman High with (1-0) on May 10, the team was able to win two out of three games against Beckman High, giving the team a slight advantage in preparing strategies against this strong rival. Despite this, the efforts and ambitions of the players led to the success, according to Murray.
“This is my ninth year, and we did win the league this year, which was something that has been difficult in past years, but in the nine years I’ve been at [the school], we’ve slowly but surely gotten better and better every year,” Murray said.
“Winning league has been my goal for the four years I’ve been here so for everyone to be bught into winning…it keeps me motivated and excited to play,” senior captain Jake Larson said.
In addition, the morale of the senior players continuously fueled the team’s spirits with its motto of “One Team, One Goal,” which many players such as junior John Schultz and senior captains Aharon Modlin and Larson said they believed helped unify the team.
“We set the goal of winning league and focused on that. It was something to go back to for motivation for us, and ultimately we reached our goal in the end,” Schultz said.
Murray attributed the team’s success this season to the players’ sacrifice of their own individual desires for the greater good of the team.
“We have a lot of players who aren’t selfish, who are more concerned with the team than their own individual stats or playing time,” Murray said. “When you have a group of players who are willing to do what the team needs instead of what they want to do, then you’re going to have success, and that’s a tribute to this year’s senior class.”
Commenting on the team’s unique psyche, Modlin focused on the strong relationships among the players.
Woodbridge is different from other teams because our chemistry is fantastic, and we love each other like brothers,” Modlin said. “ When we’re out on the field, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do to get the win.”
With this mentality, the team faced Lancaster High on May 20 and ended its first CIF game with a strong domination of 9-0.
Winning against San Dimas High within the second CIF round with 6-2 last Tuesday, the team moved on to its third CIF round against Bishop Amat High last Friday where its performance will allow the team to move onto the semifinals.
“Two great teams are going to step on the same field that day and both are going to fight for survival,” senior Zak Baayoun said. “We’ve played them before, and we’ve come out on top, so we have that confidence level that we can.”Baayoun further attributes the team’s success to the players’ effective communication and bonds with one another with an optimistic perspective to each challenge.
“I think what continues to work for us is how loose we are on the field,” Baayoun said. “No matter the game or the situation, we go out there with confidence and have fun. That helps us play the best baseball we can play.”