After years of coming up just short, the feeling around this baseball team is different this season. There’s a quiet confidence that’s building in the dugout – one shaped not by just talent, but by lessons learned through years of disappointment.
Senior Peyton Way has lived through those tough endings, and he doesn’t hesitate when asked what has changed.
“We are much more focused and determined this year– all with a common goal of being the best,” Way said.
That focus didn’t come overnight. It was created in moments like a painful postseason loss during his sophomore year, when the team, seeded second, was upset by seventh-seeded Central Valley.
“It taught me to never take anyone lightly and to treat every game like it’s your last,” Way said. “It’s baseball, anything can happen.”
That mindset now defines a team that refuses to overlook any opponent. If Way had to sum up the group in a single sentence, he kept it simple: “A team that’s determined to get the job done.”
Behind the scenes, that determination has translated into hours of unseen work. Teammate John Vitullo said fans might not fully realize the level of commitment this group has made long before the first pitch of the season.
“This team has put in hours into the batting cages and on the mounds this offseason,” Vitullo said. “I think that the team bonding that we do also plays a major role in our success in the early chapter of the season. These are big things that the fans don’t see, which makes it special.”
That preparation is already paying off, particularly with younger players stepping into key roles. Vitullo pointed to sophomore catcher Patrick LaFountain as a difference-maker.
“It is very difficult to come in as a sophomore and start at any position,” he said. “But Patrick is playing one of the most crucial positions which is the catcher position. He is doing a great job.”
Vitullo’s own season didn’t start as planned. A sickness sidelined him for over a month, keeping him from practicing and working out during a crucial stretch of games.
“This is a really tough thing to overcome, especially in my senior year,” he said. “But I’m now healthy and ready to help contribute to the team’s success.”
As the team gains momentum, expectations from the outside continue to grow. But for players like Joey Mungari, that pressure is being handled with perspective.
“I expect my teammates to handle it well because we haven’t won anything yet,” Mungari said. “ Everyone is pushing for the sectional title and knows that our job isn’t finished until that happens.”
For a program that has seen strong teams fall just short in the past, the goal is clear–and deeply personal.
“Winning a championship would personally be one of the best moments of my life,” Mungari said. “I’ve wanted to win a section chip my entire high school career. I think that it would be huge for the program because we haven’t won one in a very long time, despite having a lot of teams capable of doing so.”
But beyond the pursuit of a title, Mungari emphasized something more lasting – the bond within the team.
“I would want them to remember their teammates and the fun we have,” he said.
“We have a great group of guys and a close-knit group, so winning with them will be very memorable.”
With a renewed sense of purpose, and hunger that’s shaped by past heartbreak, this year’s team believes that it has what it takes to finish the job.
