Six Reasons to Watch Baseball This Year
By: Crystal Best
Jenks baseball logo. Photo credit: X, @JenksHSBaseball
Known as America’s favorite pastime, baseball is the pinnacle of sports with over 162 games a season. High school baseball is the same, but just with 25 to 40 games (brucebolt.us) and with a little more youth.
Jenks baseball has been around for years and with the team being stronger than ever this could be their year to win state. So these are six reasons why you should watch the baseball team this season.
Reason 1
All senior captains and they need the love!
The first and most important reason is that there are seniors on the team, as there is on all teams, but they need support just like all the other sports.
With this being their last season, they are going to go as strong as they can to try and win every game, which then as a viewer will make it more interesting to you. They need all the themes and confetti you can give them, especially when it’s senior night.
Photo from the last time the Jenks Baseball team won a state championship. Photo credit: Facebook, @jenksbaseballboosterclub
Reason 2
The team is the most united it’s ever been!
A new year and a stronger team. Every year a team will become stronger and more united than the last, and this is the time to see the baseball team more united and ready to win state.
They haven’t won state since 2021 and they believe this can be their year with team being more unified and improving under the new catching coach.
Reason 3
New Coach! Watch the guy on the sidelines
A reason to watch the baseball team is that they have just got a new catching coach. A catching coach is someone who helps with stance behind the plate, receiving the ball, blocking the home plate, and throwing the ball (catchingmadesimple.com).
So, watch as the catcher, the person behind the plate, improves along with all the other players as the catching coach gets comfortable with them and helps them improve.
Reason 4
What to watch for!
Though there are many things to see at baseball games, these are the main ones you need to spot and cheer for.
The most obvious ones are home runs, where the ball goes behind the fences, or if the player is able to round all the bases in time before the ball can make it back to tap them out, making it an in-house homerun.
Another one is when the pitcher, the one who throws the ball at the person who has the bat, is able to strike out the other player. It’s pretty difficult to do and if it’s able to cause all the outs of the inning, it is amazing.
The last one that is great to cheer for is a grand slam. It’s where all of the bases are filled and the batter hits a homerun out of the park, making it to where everyone can go home upping the score by four. It’s extremely difficult to do, but once it’s done it’s incredible.
Reason 5
The lingo will make you look cool!
Another reason to go to a baseball game is to learn the lingo so that people around you would think that you honestly know what you're talking about, even if you don’t exactly know.
I’ve already briefly talked about some and here are other ones. Innings are basically like quarters of a game. There are seven innings in a high school baseball game, having a time limit of around an hour thirty minutes.
Alley is the place between the outfielders, the people in the green area past the dirt. Caught looking when the batter is called out on strikes. Caught napping is when the runner gets outed (mlb.com).
Fun ones are, cookie which means an easy hittable ball and a dead one when a batter wants a specific pitch and gets it, taking advantage of it. Last but not least ducks on the pond which men’s two or three players are on bases (mlb.com).
A special education student running towards a base and high fiving a coach. Photo credit: Tulsa World
Reason 6
Buddy Baseball
Another and last reason to watch baseball is for when they do their annual buddy baseball game. They have been doing this since 2007.
This game is when the baseball player partners with a special needs student and helps them play through some of the innings of baseball. It is one of the many things that some of the baseball players enjoy about being a part of the team.
It makes it seem like everyone supports football, basketball, and soccer but forgets about baseball. It’s not that any sport is more important than the other, but baseball deserves more love than they get. Their season is in the weird time where we think sports are taking a break or we are just ready to get out of school, but that doesn’t justify not supporting them.
All sports deserve sports, even ones we don’t understand completely like baseball or cricket. All players of any sport should have that experience of the fans chanting their team's name and celebrating with them through wins and losses. This is what makes fanbases valuable and loved by the players. Be the difference that a small or big team needs.
To support the baseball team, go to their games and follow them on Instagram @jenkstrojan baseball
