When the OHS boys baseball team begins their season, so do younger elementary and middle school programs all over the valley. Sadly, many are not as fortunate as the players here, when it comes to equipment. 

Having proper equipment is an essential part of any sport, especially baseball. Not only does it put players from lower income communities at a disadvantage against other teams, but quality equipment can also minimize injuries within the sport. The issue inspired students from the OHS team to give back and start an on-campus collection drive. 

“The collection drive is basically something that we want to do where we have other [baseball] players who have experience, and probably have old stuff that they have been playing [with] for a while, to give back to us so that we can give it out to the community of kids who might not be able to afford it, or they don’t have gear for themselves,” said Cody Stoller, sophomore.

Baseball is about hard work, talent, and a group effort towards a common goal. No matter the team one is one, removing obstacles that may hinder the path of others is true sportsmanship. 

“We want to be able to make it so that anyone can play ball, not just based on how economically stable they are,” Stoller said. 

Several players reflected on their love of the sport and developed a sense of appreciation for the resources they have been given. The equipment drive is personal, and an issue they can all relate to. 

“I just know how much I love playing baseball and how much it’s meant in my life. Seeing kids not be able to do this was kind of sad, so I wanted to help them,” said KJ Kovaly, sophomore. 

Countless amounts of people might want to help others around them and possess the ability to do so; however, few actually take action. 

“I think just the leadership to be able to do the logistics of putting together an idea, and taking [something] all the way from an idea to an actual execution of an activity is huge,” said Jeff Baumgartner, varsity baseball coach. 

If OHS students were not able to donate during the spring camp this year, they can always look out for the drive in the future. There is hope the team can expand the drive after a successful first year. 

“Maybe we will in the future if we can give it a shot to become a bigger thing, then maybe we can work with other people and make a big thing out of this,” Stoller said.