 Arts Editor _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ For Atholton’s Boys Varsity baseball team, winning is something that comes more often than not. Last season, the boys were able to make their way to the 3A State quarterfinals where they lost to Fallston High School. With several players returning, the team is looking to make it farther into the playoffs this year. Out of the twelve-man roster, seven players are returning for their second or third seasons. Junior shortstop Kory Britton and Senior first baseman Chris Acker are both returning for their third seasons. Others returning for their second year include Seniors Ian McLin, Jamie Williams, Jared Hand, Kalvin Seamonson, and Juniors Paul Beers and Jon Thews. Because the majority of the team is returning, their chances of winning states has significantly increased. “I think we are going to be better than we were last year. In terms of the state, you never know what your competition is going to be from year to year. There could be players that are returning from each team,” said Coach Kelly. The possibility of winning the state championship cannot be increased only through returning players. New team members have already begun to impact the team in a great way. First-time varsity player Junior Jordan Thompson has already started the season with a .357 batting average and only looks to increase that number. Junior Grant Castner is currently in his first year and is already starting at third base. “It’s great having players that are new come in and start off strong. It really shows what kind of team we have,” said McLin. Going to states will be no easy feat. The Raiders compete in what may be one of the most competitive regions in all of high school baseball. When looking at school rankings throughout the state, the majority of the teams in the 3A region are ranked along with the Raiders. “I think you always have a possibility [of winning states]. I think we are trying to make it to that level. I’ve been there before, and it takes a lot of luck, and you have to play very well too,” said Coach Kelly. So far this season, the boys are ranked sixth in Maryland according to maxpreps.com. In the beginning of the year, the boys were ranked fourth, then dropped to eighth after losing to Marriotts Ridge, but rose to third after beating Hammond, which was previously ranked second. Since losing to Glenelg, however, the boys have dropped. “Beating Hammond was a great feeling. Beating a team that was ranked that high is only a preview of the things we can do,” said Senior second-baseman Jared Hand. Playing Hammond was one of the toughest obstacles, according to members on the team. For their tenth game of the season, the Hammond Bears traveled to Atholton, where they suffered a come-from-behind defeat by the Raiders 6-5. In the eighth inning, the Raiders tallied five runs, giving them the victory. “It felt great,” said Williams, who pitched the majority of the game. “After losing to Marriotts Ridge, we knew we had to bounce back, and we did.” Many players on the team would attribute their victory over Hammond to the hard work they put in before games. For the average Atholton player, the day starts at 6:30 AM for pitching and catching practice and ends around 8 PM. “Coach Kelly stresses to us the importance of practicing hard and maintaining a balance between baseball and our academics,” said Hand. The hard work done in practice truly stands out in the games. Kory Britton and Jon Thews are both averaging a .500 behind the plate. Another area in which their practice has stood out is run scoring. Against Perry Hall, the team won 22-0, and when playing against Oakland Mills, the final score was 22-1. To put it in perspective, the boys are averaging 10.6 runs per game. “I’ve told these kids—and they’ve been particularly good about this part—I encouraged those kids at the end of the season that the only way to become a better player is to play somewhere at a high level in the summer. And the second thing you need to do is lift. You need to get bigger,” said Coach Kelly. On May 15, the regular season will come to a close, and the playoffs will begin. Two new faces, Sophomores Robbie Monroe and Josh Martin will be introduced to the team by then; both have been pulled up from Junior Varsity to add speed to the outfield and the offense. Coach Kelly feels that they will have the experience and the readiness for the playoffs at that time. Unfortunately, the team will be losing five seniors next season. So far, Chris Acker has committed to playing baseball at Towson University while Williams will be playing for the University of Maryland Baltimore County. McLin has also been looked at by several Division III schools but will be attending the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The seniors are not the only ones who have been scouted to play collegiate baseball, either. Junior Kory Britton has already made the commitment to pursue his baseball career further at the University of Maryland. “I only hope the best for those players,” said McLin. “I think they’re going to do great things in the future and represent Atholton in a great way.” |