Varsity baseball reached the end of the regular season, earning an 8-8 record after defeating Gaithersburg on May 5. This effort was led by coach J.D. Marchand and senior captains Jack Kerns, Luke Brunner, and AJ Shifflet, alongside junior captain Kai Schmelzer.
With important games against Churchill, Richard Montgomery and Gaithersburg as their last three on May 1, May 3 and May 5, the team needed wins to make a statement. They came out victorious against Churchill 8-2, RM 12-5, and Gaithersburg 3-0. After four straight losses earlier in the season – Sherwood 3-9, Magruder 6-7, Damascus 2-4, and Whitman 2-9 – they bounced back with a dominant win against Poolesville on Apr. 8, 14-1. They ended the last six games of the season 5-1, bouncing back and finishing the regular season strong.
With the playoffs next, the varsity team is hopeful to make it far. They have a rematch against Watkins Mill today for the first round of playoffs. After shutting them out the first time, 23-0, they should find themselves in the next round. Senior pitcher Luke Brunner is positive about his playoffs goals. “We are hopeful, but we know that can only get us so far. We just need to beat these upcoming teams and take it one by one, round by round, and I know we can win out,” Brunner said.
In terms of notable awards so far this season, senior AJ Shiflett, juniors Kai Schmelzer and Cyrus Kaz, and freshman Jake Allen, are awarded Studs of the Week by Xposure Sports, an organization for all high school baseball-related things, including photography, tournaments and rankings. This honor is given out to players who put on an outstanding performance over the week. Schmelzer, the catcher and a significant aspect of the team, said, “We’re playing the best baseball we have all year. We’re going to try and ride it out together as a group. We are finally clicking as a team, and we hope to carry it forward for as long as possible.”
Alongside Brunner, Kerns, and Shifflet, seniors Matthew Kunst, Paul Weiner, and Thomas Mehler are all veterans and strong players of the program, meaning a big loss for next year. However, the team is filled otherwise with all but two juniors, waiting to step up next year and fill the holes left by the seniors.
When seniors think back on their season, they always talk about the growth of the team, but also the strength of their relationships with each other. Other than Brunner, who is committed to Harford Community College, Kerns, committed to Frederick Community College, and Kunst, committed to Marymount University, the rest of the seniors will not continue their baseball careers throughout college. “This year, most of our seniors will be playing baseball competitively for the last time. We try to enjoy ourselves as much as possible while taking our playoff run seriously,” Kunst said.
