PREVIEW: Poly varsity boys’ baseball will have to compensate for their lost players.
By Kayla Iles, Sports Writer
Last year, the varsity boys’ baseball team lost a total of 13 seniors, and of this group, eight were a part of the starting lineup. “Losing that many starters will affect [the] team this year, but we will do the best with what we have,” Co-Captain Dylan McDowell (11) stated. This spring, Poly baseball will begin a new season. In order for the boys to snatch the league title and go far in CIF, they will have to practice, play and work harder. Co-Captain Bret Bishop (12) said, “We need to learn how to communicate with each other; otherwise, success will lack.” He continued, “We know it’s a game of repetition; therefore, every day is important for our spring season—even if it is November.”
Some of the team’s goals for this year include winning the league champion title, winning CIF and “contributing to the Poly legacy of success,” according to McDowell. They hope to reach these goals by practicing diligently, winning games and, most importantly, playing together as one team. McDowell explained, “The past couple years of our program have been very successful, leaving our team this year with big shoes to fill.”
Along with rigorous daily practices, the team has been competing in a fall league. The team is “using these games as productively as possible, focusing on the things [they] are practicing,” McDowell said. The scheduled games for the fall league can be found at www.riversidepolybaseball.com. Hopefully the boys can grow and win as a team to represent Riverside Poly with great esteem.