With a slower start to the season than anticipated, the varsity baseball team has been on a tear and their momentum was shown with a dominating 15-0 win over Raymore-Peculiar High School on senior night Wednesday. With their last game today before the postseason, the team is looking to finish strong.
Two months ago, the team was showing signs of struggle, looking like a result of losing talent and leadership in the previous senior class. Their five-game losing streak earlier in the year pushed them way down from their previously high ranking they had because of their historic season last school year. It didn’t take them long to find a little traction in the midseason after taking a beating earlier, going 4-4 between their last loss of the losing streak and the start of the Columbia Tournament. They went on to win the tournament, looking like a team that was more confident and more consistent, even beating a highly ranked Francis Howell High School on the way. The reward for the tournament win was a 10-game winning streak after that, powering through conference and district play.
“It was never a talent issue with the team; it was inconsistency and mental mistakes,” head coach Dionandre Josenberger said. “We stopped beating ourselves, and now we are looking like the team I thought we were capable of being.”
At this point in the season, the team feels comfortable with their game after plenty of great pitching performances, allowing them to slow the game down and relax. Not only has the pitching improved, but the lineup has been raking, scoring six and a half runs a game, putting them third in the conference for average offensive output. Their 15-0 win on senior night was credited both to lights-out pitching and hot bats, resulting in a pummeling not just in conference play, but to honor the seniors’ work.
“The tone for each game is always set on the mound,” Josenberger said. “Having a good start on the mound allows hitters to relax and not feel pressure. The boys put good swings on the ball all night.”
The past three years the team hasn’t lost on senior night, a streak that both coaches and senior players want to see. The seven seniors were honored amongst their families on the field to celebrate another successful year of baseball. Currently ranked No. 6 in Prep Baseball Missouri’s Large School Rankings and one more game in the regular season left to play, the team is looking to feed off the big win and prepare for postseason baseball.
