Keoni Terrana // Photo courtesy of Debbie Jones. By Tyreke Wilbanks Western’s baseball team held tryouts over the weekend of Oct. 12 and 13, leaving players and coaches hopeful for the spring season. “Looking at the new talent and the old talent, I’m excited to see how everyone comes together,” junior head coach Jack Hudd said. The team realize some of the obstacles they faced last season. Hudd said the team had a few losses that affected the attitude of the team, which impacted their playing. This season they will be focusing on ways they can combat those negative thoughts that creep in after a loss by trying to stay positive, have fun and work together as a team. “It will be best for us to play one game at a time,” senior left fielder Cam Ferreira said. “It’s important for us to have quality wins and quality losses and to learn from each game to take into the next game.” While talking with players and coaches, they each had their own personal idea of what success looks like for the team and individually. At the end of the day, they all agree on what success is going to look like: working together as a unit and having fun with the game. “Success looks like everyone doing their job and having fun,” Ferreira said. Success looks different for each player. They want to win, but mostly they want to enjoy the game. To be successful, players want to take it game by game, avoid looking too far into the future and stay in the present. “Try to get better each day and improve as a player, both physically and mentally,” junior third baseman Keoni Terrana said. “Try to get loose, play happy and have fun with the game.” Baseball is a mental game that can have an impact on a player, and it’s important to stay loose and have fun with the game. Hudd wants players to do their best but also wants the players to enjoy themselves. Hudd wants the team to be more involved as a club in the college community. This bonding is what they hope will help them in games and allow them to really figure out each of their strengths and weaknesses. “Doing more outside of practice will help the team come together and let us get to know each other,” Ferreira said. “It is also important to learn how everyone plays and that everyone is moving with the same goal.”
