Varsity:

With an extensive history and foundation set for the program, OHS baseball is moving through their season with clear success and intricate unity.  

While leadership is at the core of their annual reign of success, it is clear that each of their individual characters influence the team’s outcome on the field.

“We have pretty high standards, and luckily we’ve got some good players come through here; so some of the standard is set by the players that have come through and guys want to be as good as some of the players they’ve heard of, or looked up to when they were kids,” said Jeff Baumgartner, head varsity coach. 

The winning past of the program is a clear motivator for future generations to join OHS’s baseball, and a visual tribute to their success. 

“We have a really great program; in the past we’ve had really good players, like Nolan Gorman, he’s in the MLB now, and we just have a really good background and history, and I think we’re continuing that with the group of kids right now,” said Nathan Bayus, junior.

With high expectations and standards, the team continues to fall back onto what they know makes OHS baseball special, regardless of the players that pass through the program.  

“This season it’s still a lot of work, we think cause we got a lot of guys back from last year, that we can just kinda show up and it’ll all just kind of work itself out, but we forget that what makes us good is that we out work our opponents, and we’re just tougher, and more competitive,” Baumgartner said. 

With work ethic built into their practices, games, and training, OHS players never fail to realize that they are nothing without being united together. 

“It’s a very mental game, and you got to be more of a team than other sports, and you just got to work together, and know how everyone moves, know all their routines,” Bayus said.

Currently holding a record of 13 and 5, it is clear OHS baseball is living up to their legacy, and continues to make an impression on others within the region.

“There’s a team standard of being able to compete at the highest level, and be able to work to be a top ten, top five team in the state,” Baumgartner said.   

JV:

Set up with goals of success in mind, JV is not making any less of an impact on OHS baseball’s reputation. 

“I think it’s a really solid program, it’s definitely one of the top programs in the state, and I think we definitely have good morals and good character, and Baum definitely teaches us the right things,” said Cody Stoller, sophomore. 

With every triumphant team,  good leadership is necessary to set the standard in motion for each and every player.  

“First thing that we try to do is to be a servant leader; so I’m here on the field more than most people, I’m not afraid to be the one that pulls the drag for the guys, I’m not afraid to be the one that throws batting practice or runs around and helps guys with drills; for the most part we have coaches that are willing to be here for extra work,” Baumgartner said. 

With such an intricate sport as baseball, it takes players that are willing to go the extra mile for the benefit of the team in order to have a positive outcome. 

“It’s definitely different than other sports because it is slower paced, but it’s definitely one of the hardest sports, because it takes certain skills to be good at baseball, that not any athlete could just do,” Stoller said. 

Even with the success of their season, going 10 and 1, it is collectively known their true legacy falls back on how they each represent their program as a whole. 

“Knowing that we represent O’Connor as a school when we’re off the field, so making sure that we’re always acting with good character and good integrity, because we know that if we do make a bad character, that that’s going to reflect on the O’Connor baseball reputation,” Stoller said. 

 Freshman: 

From starting off slow, to making an epic comeback, the freshman baseball team has gone through it all together, holding on to their team chemistry and individual integrity. 

  “This season we’ve been overcoming adversity, a lot,” said Logan Liebeck, freshman.

The name of OHS’s baseball is nothing if not for the players that represent it, and have to be willing to put 100% of their effort into the game no matter what. 

“No matter what, I try to keep everyone in the game, because it’s easy to get out when you’re down and losing,” Liebeck said. 

With leaders to build up their teammates, and coaches to carry them forward in their future baseball careers at OHS, it is clear the program is built upon sending the players forward with much more than just a successful record. 

“I’m most proud of the players that go off and end up being good citizens; maybe it’s not baseball they’re passionate about, but they pursue their other passions with the same kind of competitiveness that they learn from baseball. So just [for] the guys to be able to apply their baseball skills out into the real world,” Baumgartner said.