Varsity baseball is on a four game win streak with victories over Vianney, Westminster, Parkway Central and Francis Howell Central. The team is now 9-15 with districts beginning in two weeks.
“These last four games have been really enjoyable. We are starting to play really solid baseball at the right time of the year. The caliber of teams we have beaten is something we knew we could do all year,” senior Evan Shukers said.
The Horns have led up no more than four runs in each of the games.
“I would say our pitching and defense has been the key to our success. We have had three quality starts from Matt Blake, Matt Perego and Andrew Schmidtt. These three guys have really stepped up down the stretch,” senior Daniel Bickert said.
Junior Jack Swiney has hit two homeruns over the stretch. Both home runs came in crucial moments against Vianney and Parkway Central.
“I was able some good swings on pitches during this win streak. Everyone is hitting though at the right time. A lot of different players have been stepping up in big ways,” junior Jack Swiney said.
The Longhorns offense has been averaging six runs per game over the streak.
“Our offense has been continuing to improve all year. We have faced some quality pitchers recently and we have been able to adjust to score runs in a variety of ways. Bunting to move runners into scoring position has been key,” junior Caleb Carswell said.
After starting off the year 0-6, the team has turned it around winning six of their last nine games in total.
“We have some important games coming up against U-City, Summit and Lafayette. It is important we keep on playing the way we are capable of,” sophomore Junior Lopez said.
Chaminade, CBC, Parkway Central, Parkway North and DeSmet are teams that are in this year’s district.
“I think we can really make a surge towards the end of the year and into districts. Everyday we remember our crushing loss in the second round last year to DeSmet, so I think that has served as motivation down the stretch. Our goal is to win districts this time around,” junior Jacob Poscover said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
