Introducing the Team
Even through constant losses, the Art and Design boys’ baseball team stayed motivated throughout the whole season. Many of them say this isn’t just a team; players say it’s more like a family. How can a team with little to no wins continue to strive diligently? We were lucky enough to interview five players and the coach, Mr. Sanchez, to explore this idea.
“Our season isn’t going the greatest, but I truly think this team is a family. We will always look out for each other and help guide us. We might not be perfect, but we try. Everyone’s so welcoming. Whether it’s Coach Sanchez or the team captain Benny, everyone on the team has a role. We are always trying our hardest. I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else; it’s our losses that truly bond us together.” — Maarten Haffmans
Coach Sanchez
“It has been the greatest learning curve. You have a lot of kids who never really played before, and baseball’s a very complicated game. It’s one of those games where you have to play for a while to really understand the rules. I think they’re learning, they’re getting better. The one thing I appreciate is that every single game is progress, and they all learn from their mistakes.”
Have past seasons been better than this one?
“Yeah, I always have a lot of kids who have never really played. But you know, just a lot of learning. You always get better, but as the season goes on, I will say that. The kids are really good at being devoted and wanting to show up. I wanted to learn. Something I admire about a lot of these kids is that they want to learn, and as long as they want to learn, as long as they show up, they’re gonna get better and we always get better.”
Maarten Haffmans (#97)
What grade are you in?
“Freshman.”
What position do you play?
“I play first base.”
What got you into baseball?
“I got into baseball because of my grandfather; it’s really how we bonded and I think it really helped me grow. When my grandfather passed, I thought I would still play. I might not be the best, but it’s still a way to connect with the people who I lost. This game is really what I love.”
How is the season going so far?
“Our season isn’t going the greatest, but I truly think this team is a family. We will always look out for each other and help guide us. We might not be perfect, but we try. Everyone’s so welcoming. Whether it’s Coach Sanchez or the team captain Benny, everyone on the team has a role. We are always trying our hardest. I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else; it’s our losses that truly bond us together.”
Have you played baseball at any other schools?
“I have played baseball at my old school, 75 Morton, and in little league because my dad was the coach. I was absolutely horrendous.”
Benjamin Schwartzberg (#1)
What grade are you in?
“I am a freshman.”
What position do you play?
“I play pitcher and shortstop.”
What got you into baseball?
“I played Little League for seven years or so, from when I was 5 up until I was 12. Then, I tried out for the baseball team and got in. My parents always loved baseball, so they had me and my brother do it. It didn’t really work out for my brother, but I liked it so I just went with it.”
How is the season going so far?
“We could be doing a lot better. We haven’t won a single game yet, and we’ve played around six or seven games. We just have to work on our fielding and our batting—practically everything. Not a lot of us have experience and can’t make the plays. I think we should have longer practices to improve.”
Did you do baseball at any other schools?
“Not at other schools, but I did little league like I said earlier.”
Benjamin “Benny” Strum (#2)
What grade are you in?
“I’m a junior.”
What position do you play?
“I’m the starting pitcher and I also play shortstop.”
What got you into baseball?
“I played baseball my whole life. I played some in elementary school, but when COVID hit, I didn’t really play much. I rejoined again once I got into high school.”
How is the season going so far?
“Pretty bad because I am the only pitcher, but we try our best and still have a lot of fun.”
Have you played baseball at any other schools?
“I have not, no.”
John Kelly (#3)
What grade are you in?
“I’m a junior.”
What position do you play?
“I play first base and catcher.”
What got you into baseball?
“I grew up watching a lot of baseball. I did not play on the school team freshman year, but Benny wanted me to join it last year and I ended up joining.”
How is the season going so far?
“Honestly, I feel like as a team we can do better, but myself I’ve improved a lot since last year.”
Did you do baseball at any other schools?
“No, but I did do SFX, it’s a little league.”
Indiana Fischer (#4)
What grade are you in?
“I am a sophomore.”
What position do you play?
“I play catcher.”
What got you into baseball?
“My dad. I watched a lot of baseball growing up with him.”
How is the season going so far?
“Bad. We’re not doing the greatest. We haven’t won any games yet. We need to work on our hitting. I think if we worked and went to the batting cages more, and did more hitting practice, we could get back into these games and win.”
Have you played baseball at any other schools?
“Not in my middle school, but I played in little league growing up.”
It’s understood that baseball is a huge part of the high school experience. Nevertheless, what about one’s college experience? We also got an exclusive opportunity to interview senior Matthew Bittner (#30) about his plans for college and baseball in the future.
What position do you play?
“First, center, and pitcher.”
What got you into baseball?
“My dad forced me when I was a kid, but I honestly am really happy he did. I can’t imagine my life without it. I have met so many amazing people and am grateful for this opportunity.”
How is the season going so far?
“This season was honestly one of the worst ones we’ve played. We didn’t win much and lost almost every game. It’s okay though, we still had fun and were able to bond over our losses.”
What do you think you guys could do to improve next season?
“I feel like if they practice more and work on skill itself. We already work well together; we just need to start winning a little more.”
Did you play baseball at any other schools?
“No, just in little league.”
Are you going to do this in the future?
“I’m planning on taking a gap year with part-time classes before college, but I hope to play in college when I am able to. It’s been a part of my life for so long that I think it would suck not to.”
