It’s that time of year again. The weather is getting warmer, flowers are blooming and Blind Brook Varsity Baseball is back. Filled with high expectations for the season, the Trojans are training harder then ever and are being pushed to the limit by Head Coach Adam Massi.
Coming off of a winning regular season last year, going 12-8, the Trojans aim to follow last season with an even more successful one. Last year, their season ended abruptly in the first round of the sectionals after a fall to Dobbs Ferry. The Trojans are out for vengeance this year and are sure to make it further in the sectionals this year.
This season, the Trojans have a few new players who have been welcomed onto the team who are sure to make an immediate impact. Junior Brendan Cummins is a first- year middle infielder for the Trojans and is looking to help the team in a big way.
“We have a strong team and we are pretty good defensively and it is going to come down to offense and how many runs we score,” said Cummins. “So far in practice we have been focusing a lot on defense, bunt coverages, holding runners on and base running. The biggest adjustment for me is adjusting to shortstop, taking cutoffs and getting to know each person’s arm,” he said.
Luckily for the Trojans, some of their key players have returned this season. One such player is star third baseman and team caption, senior Brandon Hamlet. Since he was called up in the eighth grade, he has made a lasting impression on the Trojan baseball program.
Hamlet is the number three hitter in the Trojans everyday lineup and batted approximately .300 last year. He was one of the key players who produced RBI’s in key
situations. “I would like to hit over .400 this year and our team goal is to probably [achieve] a 14-7 record or 15-6 record,” Hamlet said.
Captain Hamlet is hungry to make it back to sectionals and to lead his team to victory.
“Pitching. It’s all about pitching and fielding I mean, last year in the sectionals we broke down in the field but pitching was strong,” he said.
Hamlet believes that working on the fundamentals of baseball is what the team needs to do to succeed.
“Going to practice everyday, getting your work in, getting swings, taking ground balls everyday it’s all repetition baseball is a repetition sport you have to be there everyday,” he said.
Hamlet hopes to lead the team by example and show them that there is always room for improvement. “I can definitely get better at fielding, I think fielding is my weakness but my hitting is one of my strong points,” said Hamlet.
Although the team is still strong there are still big holes left from players who graduated last year.
“We will never get back PJ Cambriello, Conner Barrella, or Brandon Forrester. Those are big losses and we will definitely need to work harder as a team to fill those gaps. Working in the felid will allow us to get better,” said Hamlet.
Other members of the Boys’ Varsity Baseball team are just as concerned as their captain about achieving greatness this season.