Holding navy blue helmets, the varsity baseball team runs onto the baseball field as players cheer and jump on top of each other. The team had an overall record of 18 wins and nine losses and a league record of 10 wins and five losses this season. This season is the first time Lynbrook baseball has qualified for CCS in 25 years after winning 11-1 against Gunn High School.

“It was by far the most memorable moment of this season,” said senior player Andrew Destin. “We were dog piling on each other in celebration.”

Unfortunately, the team lost the first round of CCS Division I Baseball Tournament in a close 4-1 game against Homestead High School. Lynbrook was able to hold off Homestead, a Division I team, 0-0 until the sixth inning.

“We won 6-4 against Homestead previously, a come-from-behind win,” said junior player Anurag Vedagiri. “We went into the CCS game with the mentality that we could beat them once again, but unfortunately, we came up a few runs short.”

The game that allowed the team to enter CCS, however, was not the toughest game of the season, but the Saratoga game. Saratoga brought out its best pitcher, but Lynbrook eventually won the game. Sophomore pitcher Max Uchida threw a shutout, pitching the whole game and preventing the other team from scoring a run. Senior Martin Thurman and sophomore Peter Fan both scored runs in the second and third innings, defeating Saratoga 2-0 in Saratoga’s only league loss.

Many factors contributed to the team’s success this year, including a diligent practice routine and a form of conditioning introduced by the new assistant coach. On practice days, the team holds batting and field practice. Pitchers warm up their arms with catchers through a routine of throwing bullpens when they are near gamedays.

The team’s new assistant coach, Mike Ryan, introduced a new conditioning program called Six Poles, which consists of running from one pole to another on the baseball field. This conditioning started out as a punishment or a cooldown, but as time passed, the team began joking about this punishment so much that the players ended up creating an inside joke about it.

“Six Poles is the team’s favorite [program]. Each time we run it is a memorable moment,” said senior player Johnnie Teng. “It’s a huge part of the team, and it really brings us together.”

Many seniors on the baseball team hope to either walk onto a National Collegiate Athletic Association college baseball team or play on a junior college baseball team. Regardless of whether they are continuing their play in college, the seniors will miss the team and their high school baseball careers.

“It’s all about the teammates for me,” said Destin. “I’ve bonded and made some of my greatest friendships with my teammates. I’ll miss all of them dearly, and I have deeply cherished our time.”

Although the team was defeated after the first round of CCS, qualifying for CCS was an excellent achievement. The players are extremely happy that their hard work, determination and commitment led to such a memorable and successful season.