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The NS baseball team has powered their way so far through the season with an overall record of 8-9, and region play being 2-6, putting the team at 7th in the region.
The team has been in the thick of the competition this season, according to head coach Austin Hadley.
“There has only been one game all year where I didn’t really feel like we were in it, which was the first game,” Hadley said. “Every other game we’ve given ourselves a legitimate chance to win.”
One of the team’s biggest strengths this season has been its depth on the mound.
“Our pitching staff is deep, deeper than it’s ever been before,” Hadley said. “That’s been really huge for us.”
The bats have come alive this season, with hitters in the lineup finding their rhythm.
“Top to bottom most of the lineup is hitting over .300, which is a big deal,” Hadley said. “And defensively, we’ve been better than normal.”
The players are well aware that keeping their momentum throughout the game is very important.
“I’ve been focusing on hitting the most,” senior Preston Madsen said. “Because when I get on base it gives the team more opportunities to score, and when we score we have higher chances of success.”
Beyond the stats of hitting, Madsen embraces his role as a leader.
“To be a good leader,” Madsen said, “to have my teammates look up to me, and trust to make plays for them, and I can trust them to make plays for me.”
Even with success on the team, there is still room for improvement.
“The bottom half of our lineup has struggled a little bit at times,” Hadley said. “Each individual down there has done something really good at one time or another, but it’s just not as consistent as we need it to be.”
Senior Gage Oldroyd mentioned how the season has been exciting, and he can’t wait for what the team can bring to the plate at state.
With season highlights so far, two games stand out.
“One game was when Smith pitched a one-hitter, which is a big deal,” Hadley said. “The other was our recent game against South Summit. I felt like we played closer to our potential as a team.”
When it comes to goals, the team focuses less on long-term goals, and more on daily game improvement.
“As a coach, I read a book in the offseason,” Hadley said. “That talked about moving away from long-term goals, and instead making each day the best practice it can be. That mindset has been really good for us.”
While the coaching staff focuses on improvement, the staff also maps out broader season goals.
“We’ve kicked around some result based goals among the coaches, ” Hadley said. “One of my personal goals has been to have a winning season, something this program hasn’t done in a long time.”
Hadley added that the team has only come close twice since the early 2000’s.
“One season was 10-10, and another that was 12-13,” Hadley said. “To win more than we lose would be really cool for us.”
Another milestone from Hadley is to earn a home playoff series.
“Having a home game would mean we’re in the top half of the standings,” Hadley said. “Hosting in front of our crowd would be huge.”
