JW's One & Only Boys' Softball Team by Theo L.

The boys' softball season was a shocker. At tryouts, the boys didn’t even have enough players to field a team, but they powered through and were able to fill all the positions. The roster consisted of William B., Juriah B., Henry B., Logan D., Antonio G., James (JP) H., Theo L., Noah P., Elliott R., Kevin R., and Rocco R.. The team looked like they were going to struggle going into the season, as they had ten seventh-graders and only one eighth-grader, Rocco. However, the team persevered and ended the season with a 2-4 record.

The season was a bit of a roller coaster. First, the boys played Hoover, who were nearly all eighth-graders. Hoover hit multiple home runs, which led to a 12-7 win over JW, but the boys weren't going to give up. They practiced three times a week for two weeks before their second opponent came up, Cabin John.

Unfortunately, Cabin John absolutely destroyed JW. They hit home runs left and right while JW didn’t get their first hit until the third inning. After all was said and done, Cabin John won 21-1. The boys were crushed, but once again they didn’t give up. They worked hard, having three more practices before playing Hoover for a second time.

This time the boys came prepared. In the first inning, Hoover took the lead over JW 3-0, but JW scored eventually scored three runs, and the game was tied 3-3 by the fifth inning. The sixth was scoreless for both teams, but the JW boys scored a clutch five runs in the seventh inning to win the game 8-3. Pitcher Theo L.'s multiple strikeouts during the game undoubtedly helped to secure the win.

If you count the Wood MS forfeit, the JW boys' team record improved to 2-2. But it all went downhill when they lost to Frost MS on a very questionable, strategic move by the Frost coach when he chose to walk JW's tenth batter forcing an automatic out and the end of the inning. Shortly after, the beating of the year went down against powerhouse Pyle MS. With low hopes going into the game, JW lost to Pyle by a whopping 28-2.

Despite the low morale at times from all the losses, the boys still enjoyed playing and there were several takeaways from the season. First, the win against Hoover was the best game JW played all year hands down because the boys were hitting, fielding, and pitching well. The game against Pyle, though, was undeniably the worst game the team played all year. They gave up 28 runs and only scored 2, and the boys couldn't seem to field, hit, or pitch. Overall, even though they didn't win most of their games or even come close to most of the other scores, the team still had fun and enjoyed all the exercising!

During an interview, the boys' softball coach Ms. Chan shared, “This was my first year as a JW coach, so it was definitely a learning experience for me, but I really did enjoy it. The team was the perfect blend of competitive and fun-loving.” When asked about their best game, she said, “I think the best game we played was the second time against Hoover," adding, “Theo L. had a handful of strikeouts and the fact that Hoover was scoreless after the first inning shows that our defensive game was solid.” When asked about the struggles the team faced, Coach Chan expressed, “We struggled a lot with the outfield, especially because the majority of players preferred infield positions.”

This year may not have been the best year for the JW boys' softball team, but watch out for them to make a comeback next year!. The team had ups and downs while also having fun and staying in shape. Next year, the team should have solid roster of returning players, which will help the team to become more versatile as they grow.