As spring edges closer, it signals many yearly changes. A bit more daylight and warmer temperatures help to bring people outside for various reasons. For one group of boys at Pennridge, it’s for the start of baseball season. Pennridge baseball has been a longstanding team with many star players over the years. The team has had record-breaking seasons, as displayed with banners in the gyms and an overflowing display case. There have been notable players, including many collegiate athletes, who were able to play for the team. The team this year consists of many seniors, of which a good deal will be playing on college-level teams. With the season just getting started, Pennridge wishes the boys good luck in their games for the rest of the 2023 season.

Aside from the season itself, it is important to look at the team, their values, and their contributions to the community of Pennridge. To get an inside point of view, we spoke to a few seniors on the team. Both boys had said how much they valued the community and friendships they found on the team. Senior Starter Joey Santora said, “They have helped me realize that baseball is not a “one man team” kind of sport and that it takes the whole team contributing to be successful.” Santora also mentioned how the team constantly showed him how each player is important. If he isn’t playing, Santora still feels connected to the team and supports them the best he can. When referring to his collegiate baseball career, Santora said, “ …even though I might not play at first, I can still do whatever I can to help the team win.” Nick Leight, another Pennridge senior player, was in agreement with Santora when it came to opinions on the team and the season itself. In reference to his team outlook, Leight said, “I’ve learned that everyone on this team plays together no matter who’s on the field or the bench; everyone plays for each other.” From our standpoint, it was so nice to hear about the friendship and bonds created between players over the sport. Whitten, the boy’s varsity baseball coach, is quite lucky to have such a good-hearted group of boys on his team.

Pennridge baseball off the field was something else we wanted to look into. Leight also highlighted their opening day ceremonies in which the team works with the little league teams in the area. These include the Deep Run teams, Pennridge youth teams, and middle school teams. He had said, “I think the biggest impact we bring is during the opening day ceremonies for both little leagues in our area…” It is always rewarding to see our peers and students giving back to our community. Another way the team is involved with others is through their graphic designs. Senior Patrick Mill works on the team’s social media designs and also the softball team’s. Being the women’s version of baseball, the sports share many similarities and have common schedules. To promote both of the teams, graphics including athlete photos, student names, and the dates and times of games are shared for both teams on their social media platforms. They help both teams to gain additional attraction and spectators at games. Student collaboration with the surrounding teams is what makes the connection between them possible.

As previously mentioned and seen through both interview answers and general outlooks, the Pennridge baseball team has many connections both in and out of the team itself. These connections are what make the team such a role model of sports for all student-athletes at Pennridge High School and aspiring high school athletes. Dedication, not only on the field, is just part of what it takes to be successful in all aspects of a sport. Congrats to the student-athletes and coaching staff of the Pennridge Baseball team. Best of luck to the boys for the remainder of their season!

Sources:
https://www.maxpreps.com/pa/perkasie/pennridge-rams/baseball/
https://papreplive.com/2023/03/28/north-penn-scores-5-in-1st-inning-rolls-past-pennridge-in-sol-colonial-opener/