By Carter Sampson

Our baseball team started the season with a very clear goal in mind: a section championship. At the beginning of the year, that goal seemed far fetched. The Knights were placed in the best section in Division 4, with strong programs like Valley Christian and Glendale High. Despite this situation, however, Tempe Prep baseball put together a great season. Not only did they win the section, they also tied the mark for the best record in TPA’s baseball history.

This great year taught players a lot. For example, Gabe LeBeau says he will take away “the realization that baseball is a very mental game, which trained me to be mentally tough. It also taught me how to rely on the team’s performance.”

The Knights began the season with three games that were won by a single run. Thanks to clutch plays by every player on the team, TPA won all three of those games. These wins kept the Knights undefeated through the first eight games of the season. The wins continued and the battle for section champs came down to the wire.

In order to clinch first place, the Knights needed a win over Veritas Prep. Thanks to a great pitching performance by Freshman Griffin Bodow and a crazy grand slam by Joe Swingle, the Knights won the game in a shutout: 12-0.

In the postseason, the Knights dropped their first round game against Benson High School. A bad first inning haunted TPA throughout the game, and they lost by 4 despite not giving up a run after the first inning. It was a sad moment for the whole team, and especially the seniors.

This season was a great experience for all involved. The team will miss the seniors, and Jacob Brown said he will miss “the guys on the team, coach Kandler, and the thrill of victory over my enemies.” (We assume by enemies he means Chandler Prep).

With such a young team doing so well, we can count on great things in years to come from our baseball program. It was an amazing season, and we are proud of our Knights!