In the last regular season game for four juniors on Tuesday, May 2, the varsity baseball team clinched the number one seed heading into the playoffs after a whopping 19-3 victory over Spencerville Adventist Academy. 

This landslide victory is a reflection of the team’s journey this season. The win put their record at 9-0 in conference, with only one loss in an out-of-conference match to Bullis.

After the game, the team celebrated their four juniors – Matthew Steindecker, Aaron Waldman, Andrew Lefkowitz and Noah Sexter in a ceremony in which they were each given a poster with in-action pictures signed by the entire team.

In addition, Head Coach Matthew Landy gave a brief speech about each of the juniors, crediting them for the team’s successful regular season. 

The team now turns their focus to the postseason, yet despite the success, the Lions recognize some improvements they could make to solidify themselves as a championship team.

“The one thing we need to work on to be successful is energy. We need to be loud and communicate,” junior Noah Sexter said.

Similarly to Sexter, junior and co-captain Andrew Lefkowitz is confident in the team’s ability and skill. He sees a few areas for potential improvement despite his overall confidence in the team’s ability to come out on top. 

“It’s not really the physical stuff, it’s more mental. It’s sometimes hard especially if we’re winning a game by that much to stay locked in the whole time,” Lefkowitz said. “But in the playoffs, when we play better teams we need to stay mentally ready and know what to do at what times. Skillswise, we are championship-ready.”

The high energy level brought during junior night is just what the team needed heading into the playoffs. There is no doubt that the Lions are hungry for a championship banner.

“It was a pretty exciting game, more energy than usual. We wanted to win and lock up that number one seed, which we did. There were definitely more students who came which was good to see. The energy was great and we will be carrying that into the playoffs,” Lefkowitz said. 

Coach Landy shares the team’s determination to win the championship. His first year as head coach could not be going any better, and the recent win made him more confident than ever. 

“I think we are 100% championship ready. The only way that this team does not get to that level is if we beat ourselves internally. Staying focused, being ready to go and just playing our game, I don’t think anyone can beat us,” Landy said. “One more thing to all the students: Come out to our playoff games. We need you there, the team deserves it, so let’s go!”