The Staples boys’ baseball season is fast approaching, as tryouts began March 20.  

“We have a lot of boys interested in our program so there’s a lot of people that will be trying out for the team this year,” head coach Jack Mcfarland said. 

After tryouts are finished and the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams are constructed, practice will begin. 

The Wreckers will come into this season as a much different team than they were last year, as some of their key players graduated last spring. However, many of the current seniors who did not get as many opportunities to play in the past will be able to make greater contributions.

“We have a lot of guys on our team with a lot more varsity experience this year, which is definitely something that we didn’t have on last year’s team,” Mcfarland said.

Last year the boys went 13-5 for their overall season and 12-4 in the FCIAC standings. They Wreckers were the two seed in last year’s FCIAC playoffs, but unfortunately lost in the first round to Darien. After winning the championship in 2019, and then facing a COVID-shortened season the following year, the Wreckers were disappointed with how the 2021 season ended. 

 “We were definitely disappointed in the way the post-season ended last year,” captain Alex Oppenhiemer ’22 said. “We’ve been able to build and mature from the mistakes we made last year and we’ve been able to better prepare ourselves during this offseason.”

The boys have spent their offseason doing a variety of training. Certain programs have been put in place for the team to improve and get stronger during the long time off. 

“Everyone has been getting their work in, whether it’s lifting, working on hitting, pitching and fielding,” Justin Holmes ’22 said. “On Sunday nights we have team workouts at the SoNo Field House to continue to get better and prepare for the season as a team.”

The boys definitely have a lot of talent on their team, with many athletes in the senior and junior class already committed to play baseball in college. While they have had a busy offseason, the boys seem like they are ready for the season to begin to put their talents to use on the field.  

“The team is hyped and excited for the season to start,” captain J.W. Fitzgerald ’22 said. “You can expect us to fight for a win every game. You can also expect a lot of wins and push for the FCIAC championship  as well as the state championship.”