Rain or shine the Niles West boys Baseball program are able to defeat their district rivals, the Niles North Vikings. The boys played two games against the Vikings, at home on Tuesday, April 16. and again at Niles North on Friday, April 18. They wiped out the Vikings with a score of 6-0 at their home game, then again on Friday with a score of 1-0.
The boys believe that the wins are no surprise, they have been working hard every day at practice and each athlete executes their own role on the team, which allows the win to come easy.
“I think our first game of the series went well and played just how I expected us to play. We came out being aggressive from the start and everyone on our team contributed in some type of way. Personally, I think I played well too. I did everything I could to get a win for us and also had a lot of help from my teammates” captain and senior Eisen Kim said.
Head coach Mitch Stern believes that his team is playing at a championship level, both offensively and defensively. He also knows that the boys are extremely dedicated to the game because it shows on the field.
“Anytime you play a baseball game when the other team has zero runs, you know you are doing something right,” Stern said.
Junior Scott Stewart believes that their defense played a key role in achieving the win, especially with pitcher, senior Alexi Maldonado.
“We played a clean game on [defense] with our pitcher dominating and we were able to make good contact throughout the game,” Stewart said.
The boys see their team as a family, they can have fun on the field while also maintaining focus according to Stewart.
“Our team is not like any other team I would say. We all have great relationships with each other and every day it feels like I’m playing a game with my brothers. This team is a brotherhood and a family, every single one of us is unselfish and plays for the guy next to us. We only want what is best for each other and try our best so we don’t let each other down,” Kim said.
The Wolves have had a great start to their season and hope to carry it out until the end and eventually win the conference. Come out and support the boys at their next home game on Saturday April 27. against Deerfield!
