Robinson Baseball’s final game before spring break against Armwood
What does the coronavirus pandemic mean for the season?
March 30, 2020
On Thursday, March 12, the Robinson Knights baseball team played a home game against Armwood High School, winning 3-2. This particular game was the team’s last before they went on an extended break due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. All extracurricular activities, both practices and games, have been cancelled for the time being.
“For now, the two week shut down means the loss of a prestigious spring break tournament [the 40th year of the Saladino tournament], along with a ton of practice time and the loss of three regular season games,” head coach Alexander Barron said.
At the time of the original interview, Coach Barron wasn’t fully aware of how long the team would be on recess. With new information being progressively made on the coronavirus, the rest of this year’s baseball season since been cancelled.
“It’s a real shame this happened,” Kenny Keller (’20) said. “Our hard work on and off the field was just paying off with good wins against great teams, but we will never know what could’ve happened on the field this season now. I really think that this was Robinson’s best year to make an impact on the state scale.”
Though the boys didn’t know that this would be the last game of the season, the team remained focused and maintained intensity throughout the entirety of the game against Armwood.
“Our pitching and mentality of never giving up definitely factored into our success last night,” Malachi Hill (’22) said. “We just fought through all the way.”
Left-handed pitcher, Kenny Keller (’20), was a key motivator during the game.
“Kenny was fantastic on the mound and you could tell the other guys fed off of that and were able to make big things happen when we needed it the most,” Barron said.
Keller welcomes the pressure.
“I hope my teammates think of me as a great player, but more importantly as a great friend and role model for the team,” Keller said.
The catcher, Robert Chatfield (’21), was another important contributor to the team’s win, making a vital play that served as the game’s turning point.
“I was impressed with our catcher and his work behind the plate – he made a huge throw and catch that were big factors in our win.” Coach Barron said.
The coaches’ philosophy centers around growth, and throughout the rest of the upcoming season they plan to do so by bettering the team’s communication elements and working on becoming more consistent when batting.
“I want our guys achieving quality growth in the classroom, on the field, and in their personal lives each season of their life that passes. With consistency comes growth, with growth comes success – this is true in all areas of life,” Barron said.
