By Ensley Weaver and Tori Harris
The Scholars Guild Spartans baseball team took home a well-deserved win at the regional game on March 25th! From their tough defense to their powerful offense, the team plays like a well-oiled machine. Although this is their first season together, you can tell that these players have put everything they have into the sport. The Spartans overpowered Lanier Christian Academy’s chances to win by sneaking four runs past them, declaring themselves the winners with a 9 to 5 victory. This win bumped their record to 8-7 – a great way to start the new athletics program! Jonah Evans, Jacob Mcllvain, Alton Strange, and Coach Kevin Boeckman were interviewed after the game about their season, memories, and teammates.
Q: How long have you been playing baseball?
Jonah Evans: A: 10 years, and first time playing competitive.
Jacob McIlvain: A: Since I was about eight.
Alton Strange: A: 12-14 years.
Q: What's your favorite memory from this season?
Jacob McIlvain: A: Playing catcher!
Alton Strange: A: The first New Creation game, I had a double and a triple.
Q: Any significance behind your number?
Jonah Evans: A: I chose it (29) because it is John Smoltz’ number on the Braves.
Q: How does it feel to get to play for your own school?
Jacob McIllvain: A: It’s a lot of fun because the team and unity we have, you don’t see that in a lot of teams and its a lot of fun to play with!
Coach Kevin Boeckman-
Q: Have you coached baseball before?
A: I have, this is my eighth or ninth season coaching at a varsity level.
Q: What’s your favorite part about coaching?
A: Trying to take a team, mold them together, playing together, and come together as a team.
Q: Do you have anything you’d like to say to the school, maybe encourage other boys to try the sport?
A: We’ve got a few guys on the team who have never played before, and because baseball is a skilled sport you need to start early, and hopefully there will be a middle school team next year for more kids to start! It’s fun to be outside of a school environment and it teaches a lot about life too. You have failures in life, and you have failures in baseball.
You heard it here folks! The Spartans baseball team wraps up a great first season, and it could not have had a better roster. Don’t forget to sign up for the middle or varsity baseball team when the interest emails are sent out this coming school year!