With the cold winter finally coming to an end, it’s time for the spring sports to start again. Each March, baseball comes alive once again. The promise of warmer weather has allowed for the baseball season to be in full swing after conditioning throughout the winter. All of the hard work and dedication comes out in the baseball diamond. With each season, a team loses important players and gains young potential. Regardless, the team still has the ability to pack a punch each year.

This year, the team has only one senior and eight juniors, making the team a relatively young one with only 18 players total. This is compared to previous years where the majority of the team was mostly seniors. Still, having a younger team isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A pro to having a younger team means more player development and having the chance to help players enhance their skills over the years. With a sport like baseball, it’s important to be in sync with the rest of your teammates, resulting in the best outcome possible. There is also the benefit that the players can try and learn different positions on the field to find out where they play best.

“We are young, but very competitive,” Freedom High School Baseball coach Daniel O’Leary said.

The baseball season was off to a delayed start this year. At the beginning of each season, scheduled scrimmages were often cancelled or delayed due to weather and other reasons. Even though there has been six games scheduled thus far, the team has only been able to play three of them. For their first game, which was a scrimmage, the team set the tone for the season with a 3-2 win over the Washington Prexies at Washington Senior High School on March 17.

Since their season opener, the team has won two more games to date. On March 21 they took on Deer Lakes at Deer

Lakes and defeated them 6-4. At Beaver Area High School on March 24, the team played Beaver winning 13-6.

“If we keep up the good work, our season should turn out pretty well,” Junior Jacob Moldovan said.

Over the next couple of weeks, the team will be taking on various other teams in their section. They will be playing Ambridge, Riverside, Shenango, North Gate and a few other teams, all competing for the title of section champions.

“If we stay focused and play consistently and as a team, we could contend for a playoff spot in our section,” O’ Leary said.

With playoffs in sight, the team will continue to have practices after school in order to improve their chances of winning. These practices consist of hitting, fielding and baserunning drills, along with working with individuals like the pitchers to improve their technique.