The varsity baseball team takes on Parkway Central at 7 p.m., on Friday, April 10, at Ballwin Athletic Fields, off of Manchester road. The Longhorns are currently third in the Suburban Central Conference.
“Our team seems to be getting better each and every day, it’s a process that is going to take a while with having such a young team. Hopefully a lot of fans can come out and support us friday against Central since it is an important conference and rivalry game,” senior outfielder Jackson Fleming said.
Parkway Central is currently leading the conference at (5-5), which makes it a pivotal game for the Longhorns.
“We went one and one against Central last year, whenever you’re playing Central though you look to beat them every time, this year I think we have the team to do that,” senior pitcher Jacob Otto said.
The Longhorns have four freshmen that are everyday players in the lineup. Freshmen Mark Mueller, Trevor Abney, Mark Sander, and Junior Lopez pave the way for the future program.
“We have four freshmen including myself that are usually in the starting line-up, the game really speeds up at the varsity level and it has been a battle adjusting to the level of talent. I think things are starting to come together especially in our six to five win over St. Charles,” freshman outfielder Junior Lopez said.
Injuries have plagued the Longhorns this season. Sophomores Caleb Carswell and Matt Perego have season-ending injuries that occurred in the winter. Carswell tore his labrum in his left shoulder while Perego tore his MCL.
“It has been tough sitting out and watching the team. The only thing I can do though is to keep a positive attitude and to support the team in any way that I can,” sophomore outfielder Caleb Carswell said.
The season began with three injured plays: junior Bobby Connor, sophomores Caleb Carswell and Matt Perego.
“This caused some adversity for the team. With practice and hard work we have overcome it and picked up a few wins in the past two weeks. We are all just excited for the game Friday under the lights at Ballwin,” junior catcher Evan Shukers said.
The Longhorns have a double header Saturday, April 11, at Parkway South against Holt and South.
4/11 Update: Baseball won 8-7, bringing their record up to 3-7.