As spring sports wrap up, the Boy’s Varsity Baseball team is ready for playoffs with eight wins and six losses.  This year’s captains are seniors Jeremy Diaz, Brandon Diaz, and Yuga Suzuki.

After the team’s successful start to the season, the new captains reflected on their upcoming season goals as a team. Jeremy said, “I’m most excited about getting the chance to develop new talent and to see some of the returners work with the newer guys. The high school season moves pretty quickly and getting the chance to develop camaraderie will help put us in the proper environment to learn.” 

As the season continued, the captains hoped to continue their successful streak against tough opposition. Brandon said, “Now that we have begun the season, I am really excited to face more opponents and others that are tougher down the road.” Yuga said, “I am excited to see how far we will go in the playoffs. We have a strong team this year and I believe that as we continue practicing and honing our skills we will be able to take on the more challenging teams that are soon to come.”

The captains had goals they hoped to achieve during the season and beyond. Jeremy said, “I want us to become students of the game. Being in Townsend Harris means that we get to experience a strong academic curriculum alongside our classmates. Baseball is a game that requires a lot of practice and attention.” 

The team hoped for a deep run at the playoffs, as reflected by Brandon who said, “My desire for the future is to continue competing with full effort and see what the playoffs bring. Being a part of a team that I could have fun, work well, and smile with, is what any player would want coming in.” Yuga shares the same sentiment as he said, “My ultimate aspiration would be for our team to make it through to the playoffs and play the championship game at Yankees stadium. Some of my individual goals are to improve on my hitting and fielding so that I can be a more consistent and reliable player.”

Sophomore Jonas Suazo mentioned that the captains have impacted him. He said, “during the season by their honesty. Whenever I’m doing something wrong they would tell me and give me the advice that I would need to fix it.”

“The captains have such a great impact I don’t know where the team would be without them. We all look to them in tight situations and they always come through. Whether it’s on the field or cheering us up in the dugout, they always have our backs. The atmosphere they bring is definitely what shapes our team.” said Jonas

All of the captains have been a part of the team for the majority of their high school experience, even the years which were interrupted by the pandemic. Jeramy said, “When everyone came back to school during my junior year, I got the chance to show everyone at the school how much this game means to me…I’m super excited and can’t wait to see how the rest of this season turns out.” 

Brandon sees his teammates as a large part of his baseball experience. He said, “From Freshman year to Senior year, the teammates I have had and the ones that I have today made me feel as if I wasn’t alone.” Yuga looked back at his growth as a player and said, “Looking back at my baseball journey at Townsend Harris, it feels like time has flown by very quickly and it’s hard to believe that my high school baseball career is almost over.”

As the members with extensive experience, being a captain comes with responsibilities. Jeremy said, “I’m trying my best to give all the knowledge I have of this sport to the rest of the team. I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember and being in a position to give advice to help our team win makes me happy and proud of what I’ve accomplished.” Brandon said, “My responsibilities as captain have been handled really well each and every day. Getting the team riled up with words and encouragement are aspects that I enjoy doing at times. Even helping out my teammates in any way I can is something that I feel could allow our team to succeed and grow in the future.”