The grass is cut, the field is chalked, the dirt is raked once again for Wando baseball’s first home game in a week. The warriors head into a very important game against their regional opponent, the Stratford Knights.
Warriors shortstop Brady Gold has had a hot bat at the plate to begin the season as he is 16 for 27 in eight games this season, making up his .593 batting average. He has a lot of belief in his ability to hit.
“Just confidence in myself, trusting my plan to play and all the work that I put in to stay consistent and be successful…and then just playing, having fun, swinging,” Gold said.
Gold has been a useful asset in setting up scoring opportunities for the Warriors by using his speed on the basepath and his mindset is always looking toward helping his teammates be successful and all together put themselves in a winning position.
“I mean, if I get on first base, I’m gonna try and steal second base , like nine times out of ten, just put myself in a good position and the hitter behind me to give them a chance to hit me in [and] score a run easy,” Gold said.
Gold is the leadoff hitter in the Warriors’ batting order and although it can be challenging, Gold is able to manage and be a strong leader for the other eight hitters following him.
“It’s tough. My job is to just see pitches and report back to the dugout what I’m seeing from the pitcher; any patterns moving on the ball, anything like that. But yeah, it’s just trying to be confident and like not putting too much pressure on myself, you know just playing, having fun like I’m a little kid,” Gold said.
Sophomore first baseman Evan Johnson has been a defensive anchor for Wando so far this season with 28 putouts; ranking second on the team. His key to success on defense comes from work in practice and believing in that work on game days.
“I just go back, trust in myself, trust in my practice, trust in all the reps that I’ve done and have confidence out there in the field,” Johnson said.
Junior pitcher and outfielder Jake Jepson is confident playing behind his teammate.
“I feel pretty confident, he gets up there, he’s throwing strikes, and he’s not walking people,” Jepson said.
Junior Matthew Ogrzewalla is the starting pitcher for the Warriors tonight. Ogrzewalla currently has an 0-1 record in 4 appearances with a 4.50 earned run average.
As tonight’s starter, Ogrzewalla has multiple responsibilities unlike his teammates as he has to throw strikes, field and the hit ball. When approaching his responsibilities he takes an approach to help keep him on top of his game.
“Half inning at a time. When I’m on the mound, I’m focused on pitching and once that third out happens, I’m focused on hitting the ball next,” Ogrzewalla said.
When facing adversity either pitching or hitting, Ogrzewalla has to flush challenges he faces during a game to make up for mistakes on the opposite side of the ball.
“You gotta’ turn it around real quick, even if it’s a bad inning on the mound or something bad happens in the box,…you gotta move on to the next thing,” Ogrzewalla said.
Ogrzewalla has belief in his team and coaches in a big region start in front of our home crowd.
“I trust my team a lot. I know they’re always behind me, even when we’re up 14 or we’re down 14. They’re always gonna be right there to come back and win it for us. And then for my coaches, I’ve played with them for four years. They know me and I know them. I know what they’re gonna do and how we play. “Of course I’m confident in them. I know that players are gonna get made, and then when plays don’t get made, they’ll get the next one. I know they’re gonna give their all every time that a ball is hit to them,” Ogrzewalla said.
