The boys baseball team brought back-to-back wins home, scoring 3-2 over Orangewood and 11-7 over Masters Academy, ending the preseason on a winning streak. 

Team chemistry played a major role in both wins, as players supported each other and stayed energized throughout the games, allowing the players to bounce back quickly and stay focused.

“We were super supportive of each other and that helped us win because everyone was cheering each other on,” junior Noah Lovelady said.

Lovelady hit a two-run RBI against Masters Academy on Feb. 5 to lead the team, which produced strong offense early on with consistency throughout the game. Multiple players contributed to the plate, allowing the team to build momentum inning by inning. Top scorers against included junior James Austin and sophomore Isaias Torres, who both performed really well on the bases. 

The win against Orangewood was a closer battle, with strong pitching playing a role in the 3-2 victory, providing a strong defense against the other team. Junior Noah Adkins started the game, performing really well after an initial struggle. Other pitchers include Senior Brendan Beldowicz and Juniors Ryan Benincasa and Nicholas Stentiford, helping the team to their win. 

“A lot of us scored [against Masters], we hit really well, had a lot of barrels and our pitching was really good [against Orangewood],” senior Jalin Copeland said.

Preseason games are often used to test lineups and prepare for the tougher competition against Lake Mary, Winter Park and Lake Nona at the start of regular season, making these wins especially important. 

The team ended the previous season sixth in the district with a record of 29-7-1, leaving plenty of room for improvement this season. Coming off of a two-win streak gives the team the momentum to keep going and start the regular season strong.

“We played okay during preseason, although we went 2-0, there still room for improvement,” junior Nathan Rhodes said. “Playing better [teams] this week will show us how good we really are and how we can move forward as a team.”

They hope to carry this momentum forward with a focus on teamwork, technical fundamentals and communication to make sure everyone is working as a team and not as individual players.

“We have to get better at the little things and work on our team chemistry,” Lovelady said. “If everyone can get on the same page we can be really good.”