With the CHS baseball season around the corner, many players are excited to share how they train and prepare with their team. Their perspectives offer non-players a look into the work and mindset behind the sport.
Lancer Link: What are you doing to prepare for this upcoming season?
Freshman Alan Jacinto: To prepare for this upcoming season, I have been putting in a lot of work on the field and off, specifically, working on my swing in batting cages and different facilities with coaches, especially my dad, who was a former double-A pitcher for the Padres, and he has really helped a lot.
LL: What are your baseball goals? Is it to play college, or professional? How about for this season?
Junior Max Adams: I definitely want to go to college and, hopefully, go pro. For the season, I want to win a CIF championship and have fun overall.
LL: How and why did you start playing baseball? When would you say you first started?
Freshman Dean Copple: I started playing baseball when I was four years old. I don’t know why I started. I think my parents just put me in the game, and I’ve loved it ever since.
LL: How do you want to see the school and student body support your games?
Junior Robert Bering: Show up to the field, get some snacks from Coop’s corner, and cheer us on.
LL: How do you feel about the season coming up so quickly? Are you ready?
Jacinto: Yeah, I mean, I think I’m ready for the season. High school ball is something that I’ve been preparing for almost my whole life, and I am looking forward to it. I’m excited, and I’m ready.
LL: What are you doing to train for this season?
Jacinto: To train before and during the season, I have been seeing a defensive coach in San Marcos, who has been hoping a lot. He helped a couple of major league players, one of the most [famous] ones is Ozzy Albies. And I have been hitting in a batting cage almost every single day, and I think if I could continue that throughout the season, that would really put me in a good position for success.
LL: How do you feel about the rest of the possible team members? Do you think there is a good season ahead for the team?
Bering: I think our team’s gonna be pretty solid this year and hoping for a good run.
LL: Do a lot of people try out? Compared to other sports such as football, how competitive would you consider baseball?
Jacinto: So, not as many people try out compared to football or maybe even basketball. [But there’s] a lot of kids getting cut compared to the guys that are actually trying out. And so I’m looking forward to seeing what our team is actually gonna look like, and who is going to have [an] impact on the success of the team.
LL: What is your favorite thing about the team, the coach, and the game in general?
Copple: My favorite part about the team is just the people that I meet and get to see every day for practice. And then I love my coaches, because they’re just really chill. And I like talking to them, and they’re really good people. My favorite part of baseball is the whole entire thing.
LL: Who do you think the team’s biggest competition will be this year?
Adams: San Marcos is gonna be tough this year, but I think we’re gonna handle them this year.
LL: What is the most difficult part of playing baseball?
Jacinto: The most difficult part of playing baseball is hitting. It’s probably one of the hardest physical sports feats in the natural human world.
LL: If you had to pick one skill as the most essential to playing baseball, what would it be?
Adams: The mental part will definitely take a toll on most players, but as long as you’re having fun, I think most players will get through it.
LL: What part of the game brings you the most joy or thrill?
Copple: Definitely winning, when it’s a close game, and then you come around, and one of the last innings, and you end up winning, that is definitely the best [part] of baseball.
