Anjelica Dry
Baseball has become the staple of the American dream. People have fallen in love with America’s favorite pastime, and in the home of the 2015 World Champions, the KC Royals, West students are no different. As baseball tryouts edge closer, you might be wondering about tryouts, training, the coaches, and you might need some advice on preparing for the season.
Baseball is a sport that many people start as kids. Freshman, Nik Kenagy, has been playing baseball since he was little. He’s tried many sports such as wrestling, soccer, and football, but Kenagy likes baseball the most. He says, “baseball is just a fun sport to play, and I like it”.
You don’t have to be born a baseball player to be good. Sophomore, Austin Grigsby, has only been playing baseball for two years. He says, “I’ve always loved watching it and I thought it would be a fun experience”. He’s loved the game since the first practice. Everyone has a good chance of making the team if they work hard.
Training is a big part of baseball at West. Baseball weights held after school in the weight room, where you can meet the coaches and prepare yourself for the upcoming season. Everyone has different ways of training, some people don’t train at all, some people have been training since last season ended, and some are doing winter sports that help them.
Kenagy is in wrestling and has just recently started lifting for baseball. On the other hand Grigsby has been training hard since October after taking a break for the fall. He’s gotten his time down on hitting and has gotten stronger. “The muscle that I’ve gained has helped me to be more balanced in all aspects of the game”, Grigsby states. There is no perfect way or time to train, you have to do whatever works for you.
There’s a lot to be excited about for baseball, having fun with your teammates, playing the game, missing school. Everyone has their own favorite part. Grigsby is excited about the work that he has put in. He’s trained hard and feels like he has a good chance of making the team. He’s made a lot of good friends and has enjoyed getting to know the coaches.
West has 5 great baseball coaches. All of them want the best out of their team. Varsity coach, Jay Meyer, was a baseball player in high school and the major leagues. He’s been coaching for over 20 years. He’s been known to push in the weight room, but he knows what his teams’ limits are. “I’ve been lucky and have had a good team”, Meyer reveals about his team. While Meyer is a great varsity coach, there are great coaches no matter what team you’re on.
Going into tryouts, there might be some nerves. Anyone who is trying to make the team, with bunch of other skilled players trying out, would be nervous. Grigsby isn’t, he knows that he “can only do what I can do, I can’t worry about another guy being better than me.” He’s only focusing on what he can do, and not what anyone else is doing. Baseball is a challenge, and you need to be confident in yourself if you want to make the team.
Grigsby’s advice for someone trying out is to “just be themselves and not try to do anything that they don’t usually do”. If you decide to try out for baseball, don’t worry about others. Just play the best baseball you can.
