Bryan Schiavone ’13
Opinions Editor
As the boys’ baseball team nears the end of their successful 2010 season they are beginning to look ahead to the state tournament after their shocking FCIAC loss to Westhill on May 24.“It’s been a blast so far, but it won’t mean anything unless we can have success in the post-season,” quad-captain David Speer said.
Success in the post-season, in which only the top teams participate, would mean earning their third consecutive FCIAC title, something that has never been done before. Their 18-2 regular season record, which is a school record for regular season wins, 18, along with their back-to-back FCIAC championship victories, makes their goal of winning the state tournaments seem attainable.
The Wreckers started their season strongly with steady improvement along with four straight wins.The consistent improvement in the hitting throughout these four games was clear. By the end of their first game, the Wreckers had six hits. By the end of their third game they had 21 hits. The fifth game of the season, however, was an upset for the team. They lost 10–3 to the Westhill Vikings.
Starting catcher and quad-captain Grant Moss ’10 sees their only loss as a learning experience.“There have been a million positives this season, but I like to always remember the feeling of losing to Westhill so we don’t let those mistakes occur again,” he said. Although the captains always strive for improvement, they all agree that it is better not to dwell on past wins or losses, but to look forward to the future.
Quad-captain Jimmy Sikorski is doing just that. “We’re in a great position,” Sikorski said, “We are expected to be one of the top seeds.” And with the FCIAC number one seed locked up by the Wreckers, they were in a good position to go far into the tournament.
However, they faced Westhill in the first round of the FCIAC playoffs, the team that handed them their sole loss; and once again, the Vikings stormed the Wreckers in the fifth and took the game 7-4. The Wreckers can still make a run in the state playoffs.
Sikorski will be a vital asset to the team in their upcoming games. During last year’s FCIAC championship game, Sikorski pitched his way to a win. He hopes that this year he can do just as well, if not better. Speer already has 20 career wins as a pitcher, which he calls “a testament to how good of a team we have been these last three years.” Despite this year’s strong line-up, Speer insists that, all in all, every player is important to the team.
“As great as the individual accomplishments are, they don’t mean anything unless the team succeeds,” Speer said, “nobody has stood out more than anyone else.” As a team, however, Staples boys’ baseball has undeniably “stood out”, with only two losses so far in their entire season. “Our lineup is as good or better than every lineup in the state,” Speer said. “Nobody has stood out more than anyone else.”
As a team, however, Staples boys’ baseball has undeniably “stood out,” with only two regular season losses this season.“There is no doubt in my mind that we have enough talent to win one or both of those championships. We hope to go far,” Sikorski said.
