WOODBURY — As baseball at Nonnewaug starts back up, the CIAC state championship title the team won in 2023 stays in the back of some players’ minds.
The freshmen and sophomores, who were mostly on the bench the whole game, are now the upperclassmen leading the team. Luckily, the upperclassmen had role models on the championship team to inspire them.
Former players such as Sam Scott, Brett Davino, and Dylan Chung influenced the team through hard work and dedication to the sport.
“Sam Scott was a hard worker that fought for playing time,” says Nonnewaug senior captain R.J. Barksdale, who started as a sophomore outfielder in 2023. “He ended up being a great second baseman even though he always played third. He came through with being able to adapt to a new position, and I think that made him a stronger player.”
Junior Derek Chung, who was on the championship-winning team as a freshman, has some doubts that the team might not be strong enough to get the champs title again with the graduates gone.
“I think it was the past graduates who made it possible,” says Derek Chung. “We have a slight chance [this year], but not as good of a chance as what we had.”
With the Chiefs losing the second round of states in the 2024 season, the pressure to earn back the title rises.
“I think the past champions put pressure on us to be better and win another title,” says sophomore Ryan Alther.
His freshman year, Chung noticed some ways to make himself better.
“I noticed how hard the upperclassmen practiced [in 2023], so it [brought] the standard up for the team now,” says Chung. “They didn’t fool around before games and took it seriously.”
Now that some players already have the title of champions, they want to work harder to get the title a second time.
“Now that I already have one, it makes me want to have another one or pressures me to do better,” says Barksdale. “I want to win like we did that year.”
According to Chung, most of the boys put in more work than just team practices. Some play for a summer team, participate in winter workouts, or go to captains’ practices.
Some players, like sophomore Jackson Demers, have their own equipment, like tees, to strengthen their hitting in their backyard.
According to junior Zachary Beradis, the sport isn’t just about skill and practice; it’s also about mindset.
“Baseball is a game of failure and repetition,” says Beradis. “If you don’t understand that and put in the work, then you and your team will never really be good.”
