A calm settles over the team as the players walk out onto the field. They take deep breaths and prepare for the battle ahead. One by one, each player runs to the baseball plates with adrenaline coursing through their body. Ready to play hard and have fun, the CVHS baseball team works together and creates memories of a lifetime.
The CVHS baseball team is an association devoted to one another and their craft, with important values that grow the players as people. With a bunch of different students in different grade levels on the team, it feels like one big community.
“I’d say it’s like a sibling dynamic. You give each other a jab here and there, but it really is like a brotherhood,” Jack Herce, a sophomore on the team, said.
With CVHS being an academically focused school, the baseball team is an outlet for students to try a new recreational activity and connect with new people.
“It’s given me a group of guys that I can hang around with and it’s helped me build friendships with people outside my classes and academic niches,” senior Justin Leahy said.
The team works hard together and puts in effort to push the team towards greatness. In past years the team hasn’t been as striking as the team this year. This is all due to their new strategy of practicing everyday this season.
“We practice every day not only to stay sharp for games, but also to build team chemistry, which we lacked last year,” Herce said.
This allows for the team to play better because everyone is supporting each other. The dugout, the place where players and coaches sit during the game, has grown in excitement this year. As the connections between the players grow, the team believes they are ready to face new challenges and competition.
“I want to bring CVHS to the playoffs for the first time in school history this year,” Leahy said.
To qualify for the playoffs the team needs to be one of the top four teams in the district. The players must also have discipline and the drive to continue to play even when they are anticipating failure. The upperclassmen on the team assist the younger players through this process.
“We’re supposed to be good examples and show everyone how to bounce back from making errors,” Leahy said.
The seniors guide the underclassmen and help them become the best players they can possibly be. The team captain Teddy Herce, who is Jack Herce’s older brother, specifically takes on the role of pushing the athletes to be better and to perform better.
“Learning from him [Teddy Herce] and what he’s done and building off of him. He’s guided me along my journey,” Jack said.
The two brothers reinforce the family dynamic on the team making the other players feel comfortable and at home. The “dynamic duo” has created lasting memories.
“When my older brother threw a no-hitter against Northside and I caught that – It’s probably my best memory from last year,” Jack said.
To many of the players, the future of the CVHS baseball team seems bright and holds many possibilities. The players are hopeful and are ready for new adventures that will find them.
“The baseball team looks like a winning team that will make HISD playoffs potentially every year,” Leahy said.
As the seniors leave and new players take on the leadership roles the upperclassmen hold, they understand what the values of the baseball team and what they need to continue implementing.
“You have a bunch of guys behind you that are willing to pick you up and help you out,” Jack said.
