Since 2018, Parkland’s baseball team has not been back on the national stage of the World Series. This season, Head Coach Zack Pyke and his team are looking to change that, believing they could be “the team to do it.”
While the team has been performing well so far, with a record of 24-11, every season has its highs and lows, and this season, weather inconsistencies have proven to be some of the team’s most significant obstacles.
According to Pyke, “There has [not] been one weekend gone, according to schedule, and it [has] been really tough to navigate and communicate with [the] guys and… figure things out on the fly.” Despite this, Pyke says that, “they have done a great job of adapting to it all, so far.”
Much of the team’s success in staying strong all the while navigating difficult conditions can be attributed to a combination of confidence and, most importantly, the trust and bond they have built amongst each other.
When asked about the mentality one must maintain while playing the game, player Sam Foulke shared the importance of having “confidence, not only in yourself but also in everyone around you.”
“There have been times with this team, where we either get down early in the game or we are losing late, and I feel like I am never not confident that we are going to come back and win.”
This mentality of confidence within oneself and the other players is a direct testament to how well they know and trust each other.
Foulke shares his experience with the team, saying:
This is probably the most together team I have ever played with. We all live in the same apartment complex, we hang out all the time outside of baseball…, we are all super connected, everyone knows everybody, no one is afraid to talk to anyone, you know you can go to anyone if you have a problem and everyone is going to support you through your successes as well.
While the team’s primary goal is to push through April games in preparation for district and regional championships — and eventually the nationals at the World Series — what it means to succeed goes beyond just winning, but instead playing to the best of their ability.
Player Gavin Parkerson shares, “I know I might not win every time I go out there, but knowing I have confidence [in] myself to be the best, that is success for me.”
As championships are soon approaching, the Cobras are looking to be on a positive trajectory that will hopefully lead them on a direct path to nationals. If you want to support the team, their next home game is on Saturday, April 19, at 12 p.m. against Lewis and Clark Community College.
