The baseball team will compete against Marcus on March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus Marauder Stadium. The Hawks have started the district season 2-1, after winning their first two games against Coppell.
“Our wins against Coppell [were a] battle,” third baseman Luke Sharp said, “The bats were a little cold in the first few innings, but we all came together and pushed through. [I] was happy with how the team was hitting the ball and I hope we can carry that into this week.”
The team played against Marcus on March 18 and lost 4-1. Marcus is first in the district and the Hawks sit in third.
“We played well [against Marcus,]” head coach Corey Farra said. “[I] talked [to the team] about it before the game — that it was going to be a heavyweight fight. You have to withstand the heavy punches that are going to be thrown and be able to punch back. ”
During the bottom of the fifth inning in Tuesday’s game, shortstop Austin Nicholson was hit in the face with a pitch, resulting in a fractured nose and swollen eye. Nicholson did not return to the game following the play.
“[At that moment] I saw him get hit in the face and just hoped he was OK,” third baseman PJ Crayton said. “I was worried it could have been something worse than it was. I just hope he can be back soon.”
During the game, the wind speed was around 30 miles per hour, which both teams had to adjust to. Marcus hit two home runs and drew seven walks from Hebron.
“Knowing that we were in a hard-fought game and we had chances but didn’t capitalize gives us confidence to go into [the next] game,” Farra said. “[Last game,] we faced their No. 1 pitcher and now we’ll get their No. 2 pitcher.”
Last year the team only had seven seniors on the team. This year, the team has 20, which Farra said has been a little difficult as the team is still adapting to his coaching style.
“There are people who love to win, and those who hate to lose,” Farra said. “I am one who loves to win. I don’t like losing, but the same thing I teach to my kids [and team] in life is that when you make a mistake or when you lose, the only thing you can do is learn from it. If you learn from your mistakes and losses, you get better, [whether it’s] becoming a better baseball player or a better human being. You have to keep looking ahead, even after a loss.”
