Are you looking for a spring sport to come watch? Do you want to come to the nicest sports venue that AMHS plays at? Do you want to cheer on the Raptors as they keep winning? If you answered yes to any of these questions then Raptor Baseball is the sport for you!

This year the Raptor Baseball team is in great shape. Cameron Thelan and I are the senior captains of the team. The baseball team boasts a 3-2 record, much better than our 2-10 season last year. So far, we’ve beaten Lucy Beckham, Porter Gaud, and Battery Creek. Our losses have been to Oceanside (the number one ranked team in the state, holding them to only four runs in seven innings. The other loss is to Bishop England, which was easily our sloppiest performance of the year. Despite our near even record, we still have a very good outlook on the season.

Now for the team introductions. First, the seniors, Cameron Thelan is our resident flame-throwing centerfielder, who recently has transferred his talents to the mound. No one is safe on the bases when Cameron has the ball in hand. He’s liable to send a laser beam from anywhere in the outfield and take away extra base attempts. After struggling to hit at the beginning of the season, Cameron and his signature “creamsicle” bright orange bat are hot at the plate. I, Marshall Fleming, am the other senior. I pitch, play first base, and play left field. I go literally unconscious on the mound. Slinging it from the left side, with a five pitch repertoire, hitters have a tough time adjusting to all of the movement. In our game versus Bishop England we figured out that I could do a split, stretching from first base. In past years I was never a good hitter, however, this season I’ve figured it out. I am on a four game hit streak that I would like to extend.

The juniors are next up. We have five juniors, all returners who make up a good portion of the squad. The infamous Vishwa Veeraswamy works hard for us at first base and on the mound. Vish is a versatile pitcher, always ready to make a quality appearance as a starter or a reliever. He also is a threat at the plate, hitting from the left side despite being right handed allows him to get into good counts to draw walks or get hits. Jason “J-Train” Ward, the other resident left-handed pitcher, brings nasty stuff on offense and defense. Jason is arguably the most consistent player on the team, leading the team in multiple categories on the offensive side of things. Jason also plays outfield and can trackdown any ball that’s inside the fence. Jagger Smoak is our man in the hot corner (third base). Jagger is a steady defender who’s making great strides at the plate. He has definitely improved greatly since joining the program and is a model of hard work on the baseball field. Joey “Jerry” Benich is our reliable right fielder who also brings a big bat on offense. Joey has also been in the program since freshman year and is an integral part of the team. Griffin “G-Stieg” Stiegman is the comedy captain of the team. You can always count on him to chirp the other team and let them know he’s there. He plays second base and is a master of the double play exchange.

Now for the Sophomores. The tenth grade makes up a large part of our team. Catcher Thomas Martin has been an integral part of the team since his first days at Magnet. Thomas brings his “money arm” (if you ask the sophomores) that is a threat to any runner on the bases. So far, Thomas’s bat has been cold but when he does make contact you can be sure it’s going to go a long way. Our second sophomore is Beatty Cummings. Beatty’s adapted to a new role this year in the outfield. He plays the game how it’s supposed to be played and is always reliable. As a second-year starter, Beatty’s baseball journey is going pretty well. Lastly, we have Connor Sawall. Connor brings copious amounts of energy to the ballfield. He runs the most efficient book I’ve ever seen, and frankly no one would even know the score if he didn’t tell us. He plays first base and pitches as well.

Finally, the freshman. We’ve got a large population of ninth graders this year. We’ve got pitcher and third-baseman José Revúelta. He brings a steady bat at the plate and we’re all excited to see him develop as a player. Then we have Sam Solari. He’s been making an immediate impact on the diamond playing the middle infield and bringing a big bat with clutch hits when we need them. Freshman outfielder Cy “Py” Benich is the “crust” of our team putting in the hours in the outfield and with the rake at practice. Py is a great player and has a bright future in the program. Next, first-baseman Max Peters. You can always count on Max to wear the color red with any outfit. He graciously provides us with a “hack attack” pitching machine that is a huge part of our success this year. Max is a solid hitter and is liable to whack a ball to all parts of the field. Nikos Paraschos holds it down on the pitch count and has greatly improved since joining the squad. You can catch him rolling up to the field in his Jordans ready to chirp. Mateo Guerrero is our last freshman. Mateo plays right field and is another one of our up-and-coming players who could prove to be very skilled by senior year.

Despite having 4 games rescheduled, the Raptors are still rolling. Our schedule is pictured. We look forward to seeing people at games this year and during our potential playoff run. Note: AMHS vs. Hannahan on 22 is at Burke HS baseball field. AMHS vs. @BE on 4/20. Finally, AMHS vs. @Battery Creek on 4/29