This season for the Baseball team has been successful as it pertains to their improvement as individuals and as a team overall. Although they worked very hard during this season, they did not make it to the state tournament as they had originally hoped.
The seniors this year have stepped up to meet expectations and performed strongly.
Coach Freker says, “[They] had many chances to win.” Frecker continues to state that, “many of [their] star players have not let [the team] down. [They have] been playing a good game and hitting a good couple of scores.”
Kevin Gilligan, who was one of the team’s best performing players last year, had another great season. Gillian has been leading the batting and has also been their most consistent pitcher. He’s really having a great season, especially as a senior
Senior Nicholas Sargent, who started his first year in varsity, worked exceptionally and really “proved to deserve his spot on the team.”
The team has been able to accomplish so much from one of its initial goals of the season, which was to improve no matter what. Senior Devin Ciampi is proud of the fact that they were able to “show the talent that [they] have.” Ciampi also believes that that the team “should be proud of [their] effort and attitude throughout the year.”
Junior Justin Mini mentions how “the season started off a little rough but [they] stuck together and definitely improved overall as a team.”
Juniors have really been upping their game to be sure to fill the senior’s shoes, who mostly dominate the team, once they graduate. “A lot of unexpected things [happened] and [they] were able to work through them,” says Senior Harrison Zeiberg.
Most of the members of the team have been playing since little league, therefore they have known one another since elementary school. “[He has] been with everyone on the team since [he] was six,” explains Ciampi, “and to be able to finally all be on one team with everyone who was friends was amazing, more like family than a team.” The members of the team also made sure to always help each other and get the best from one another.
Finishing up the season, the team has won four out of their last five games. One of their winning games, which was against Salem High School, was on their Senior Night. “It’s bittersweet for it to be the senior’s last season. It’s sad knowing that [they’ll] never play another baseball game at Malden High School” says Zeiberg.
Ciampi hopes that the Malden High Baseball team always puts all their effort on the field. “That’s what this team in 2018 believed in; as long as you hold yourself and your teammates accountable and try your hardest everything will fall into place.”