Baseball: Smashing Expectations Right off the Bat
By Maya Stafford, Staff Writer
// The Acalanes baseball team (16-0 overall, 2-0 league) started their season strong, remaining undefeated.
On Feb. 22 they beat Alhambra 4-2, and on Feb. 23 they won against Heritage, 10-5. Playing their last game of the month on Feb. 28th, the Dons kept their winning streak alive by defeating San Ramon Valley 7-2. Heading into March, they won a very close game against Petaluma with a score of 2-1 on the 4th and again beat Vintage on March 7th with another 2-1 win. On March 11th they beat Las Lomas 10-4, along with another win on the 14th over Tamalpais, 6-5.
The team consists of both upperclassmen and lowerclassmen. On the roster, starting pitcher and captain Henry Souza stands out. The senior recently committed to playing Division 1 (D1) baseball at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO).
“I've seen him grow throughout his time at Acalanes and now he's going to be going to Cal Poly, but Henry has been a staple for us. Starting from his sophomore year, he has been a leader and has been our go-to guy. If we ever need a guy to pitch in a big game and keep us winning, it's always been Henry,” Varsity Head Baseball Coach Connor Hornsby said.
The team has been working hard to train for their games, and after playing tough teams, they are confident going against rival teams such as Campolindo High School and Miramonte High School.
“I’m not worried about playing any rivals down the line, our team has seen a few really solid squads so far so that gives us some confidence to face other teams too,” senior and captain Henry Souza said.
With an exciting start, the team has a bright future and hopes to keep improving and climbing up the rankings.
“There's still a lot of baseball to play, but starting 5-0 has definitely put us on the map. I think we have the right read mentality to keep it up. Like I said, the culture is good, and we're going to continue to get better,” Hornsby said.
