Birds are chirping, flowers are in bloom, Brett Favre is doing his version of
“Should I Stay Or Should I Go.” Ahh! Spring is in the air. That could only mean one thing; spring sports are back at Mesa. Hoping to ride the wave of last season’s success is our baseball team. The 2007 Olympians finished with an overall record of 25-19, and 18-7 league record. Good enough to be crowned Pacific Coast Conference Champions.
“Our expectations are to repeat as conference champions.” Said Coach Kevin Hazlett, now entering his 17th season as a coach at Mesa. “We’ve upgraded the positions that we lost last year, we’re strong up the middle of the field. The key for us is how our pitching responds.” Led by a good, young pitching staff which includes sophmores Chad Blauer and Ryan Floros, Coach Hazlett believes pitching will play a crucial part on both sides of the field. “If they pitch well enough to keep us in games, I think we’re better offensively than we were last year.”
As with any team looking to repeat as champions, playing at a high level requires consistency. That’s what seperates the elite teams from the rest of the pack. Never play down your competition and always execute in all facets of the game. That’s a sentiment Coach Hazlett echoes. “With three games this year, I think we need more improvement on consistency. We played well, but we need to be more consistant in the three areas, defense, pitching and offense. If we can win two of those areas each time, then you should win the ball game.”
Bolstered by handful of talented players such as catcher Zack Larson, second-baseman Ross Epperson, short-stop Eli Tupuola, and out-fielders Ted Kleist and Tony Cusumano. The Olympians have themselves a team that’s more than ready to compete and be once-again named Pacific Coast Conference Champions. “This is a good team,” believes Coach Hazlett. “This team that we have this year, is as good as any since I’ve taken over as head coach.” So now that spring is here, it’s time to end your hibernation and get out and support your team.