By MARK VAGELAKOS
From season ending upsets to come-from-behind underdog wins, the boys varsity baseball team has overcome a lot together in the 12 years they have been playing on the same team.
“The whole team has played together since we were six. We know what everyone is capable of. We build off each other and pick each other up and are really close as a team,” junior Mitchell Barati said.
The team has had a meteoric season, coming from the 2011 season which can rarely be remembered without mention of their top seed season ending loss to eighth seed Colonial at the district championship.
“Last year, I was in disbelief. We had a great season and everything went well but in the end, you have to be able to bear down and win the games you’re supposed to win, especially when your season is on the line,” senior Robert B. Irwin said.
The team came to district semi-finals ready to set the record straight. Finishing 8-0, the boys carved out a place in the playoffs against Freedom on April 24 and continued a trend of overwhelming wins.
“It’s the fact that the kids aren’t going to give up, and play ‘til the end. That’s why we are winning,” coach Pete Post said.
Post also attributes the team’s success to its camaraderie.
“Each of the games, if someone’s dragging, someone will pick them up. It’s a real team effort,” Coach Post said.
The team’s determination to surpass the previous year’s losses was evident in their game against West Orange. Senior Frank Grandinette led the win by pitching seven strikeouts that game.
The boys came from behind to beat the better ranked West Orange, 7-5. Since the underdog defeat, the team has seemed to beat teams with ease.
“The game against West Orange really shot our belief in ourselves way up through the roof and took us to a whole new level,” Barati said.
With a semi-final win against Freedom, the team headed to the district championship, playing Dr. Phillips on April 27 then to regional quartar-finals agaisnt Olympia on May 3.
However, the team’s momentum was interrupted with a loss to Dr. Phillips, 5-6. While this loss did not eliminate them from the playoffs, it was troubling considering Olympia, the boy’s next opponent, beat them earlier in the year. The team remained optimistic about the playoffs regardless.
Underdogs against a nation-leading, 28-0 team, the Braves, led by Frank Grandinette on the mound, held the runners at bay for four innings, but the Titans broke through and got 10 runs in the next two innings, ending the game 10-0. The loss ended the season with a 23-5 record.
“Well, we had one of the best records ever at Boone, but when you get into tournament play, everything changes. Timing on that wasn’t good for us, but the kids played well. The kids had a really good season,” Post said.