Baseball
By Hayden Sampson
Baseball is a different kind of sport. It takes quick thinking, as well as the willingness to put in the work to get better. So far the Middle School baseball team has done just that.
Head Coach Tom Kandler says, “We are an extremely young team with not a lot of pitching experience. Our defense and offense have been strong and I am very happy with the development of the boys. Although we are off to a rough start, as far as wins and losses go, the future of Tempe Prep baseball is bright for years to come. We have an awful lot of talent in each grade level.”
This year there are only a few eighth graders, so the team is made up of mostly seventh and sixth graders. While there are quite a few club baseball players – this means they play the sport all year round – most are not. This leads to need for improvement, which the team has really started to do.
Baseball games are almost halfway done, and the second half starts in January. Good luck, Knights!
Softball
By Theresa O’Connor
This year, we are off to a slow but steady start for TPA’s new Middle School softball team. With new and returning players this year we will have an awesome softball team and year.
TPA’s softball team is being coached by our volleyball coach, Mr. Bill Goodykoontz. The volleyball team did great so we think we will do great in softball too. From the few practices we have had, the softball team has definitely improved. They have gotten better and better each practice and game. Although it can be very intimidating during the games, the softball team still tries their hardest in every play.
This hardworking team practices every Tuesday and Thursday to get ready to play. Sometimes they even have games on top of all that too. During practices, the team works on fielding, batting, catching pop flies, and pitching.
They also have great encouragement in their teammates, whether it is batting or their pitcher getting ready to pitch. Overall this team’s hard work pays off and helps them in games.
Good luck Softball Lady Knights!