Baseball Warms Up for Spring Season
Brett Wathen
The spring semester is right around the corner, meaning the boys of summer—baseball players—are close to starting up again.
One captain of the team is senior outfielder Aidan Stevens. He feels strongly about the outlook of the upcoming season. “There is a lot of talent and young guys who gained a lot of valuable experience last year that will really help us this year,” he said.
What does being captain mean to him? “I didn’t really want to be a captain, ” he said, “but it is an honor to be voted a leader on the team. Being able to pass the torch and show the younger guys the right way to play Manchester baseball means a lot.”
Stevens is a 4-year member of the Manchester baseball program. He is studying psychology and plans to go to grad school in the future.
The team’s other captain is junior infielder Mitchell Baker. He is one of the few juniors ever to be named captain on the team, and he felt honored by the vote and to lead this team. “Baseball has helped me make some of the best friends I will ever have, but has also taught me to be a leader not only on the field but more importantly off the field,” he said.
Baker is a 3-year member of the Manchester baseball program and currently studying business.
Junior outfielder Harrison Pittsford also felt positive about the upcoming season. “I feel great about the team this year; I’m excited to see what we can do,” he said.
What he was looking forward to most about the upcoming season? “I’m excited to make memories with my teammates, but probably most excited to beat Anderson,” he said.
Pittsford plans to stay around baseball after his career is over and hopes to coach someday.
A common theme all three players spoke about was culture. Each noted how everyone on the team is a lot more involved than in years past, getting work in any way that they can. They all felt encouraged to see the whole team committing to getting better.
While the team finished 10-27 last season the future is bright for the team. The Spartans will have 4 returning All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference athletes and is full of talent.