The Longview Lakers’ are intesnse as they are headed to the playoffs for their third consecutive season. The Laker’s current record of 28-25 and only have lost five games in April and May combined.
“Going into the season we knew we were going to have a strong offense, and we struggled for a little bit, but people adjusted. We have been strong ever since,” sophomore pitcher James Fitzgearlds said.
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The Lakers knew this was how they were going to play all season. “We knew from the start that we had a lot of talent on the team. We had a rough patch in the middle of the season, but we knew we would work our way out of it,” sophomore first baseman David Ullrich said.
The 1-12 losing streak started when they lost to Kansas City Kansas Community College 8-5 on March 7. Their only win during the streak was a 15-5 win over Cloud County Community College on March 14.
Sophomore catcher Austin Hill said it really showed them what they needed to fix. “We have to go over .500 this season to get to the playoffs and that really put us in a do or die situation. We could have either laid down and gave up or came back swinging and that’s what we really have done,” Hill said.
“This is how we have expected the whole season to go because of our talent level,” sophomore first baseman Josh Dennett said. “A lot of the freshman are now experiencing what it’s like to win at this level,” he said.
Fitzgearlds describes the comeback against Highland to be the team’s hardest game all season. “I think that shows we were used to winning and even with the recent deficit at the beginning we were able to pull through,” said Fitzgearlds.
The Lakers are going to need to use their experience and talent if they are going to have a shot at repeating what they did in 2007. Hill said they expected to make the playoffs. “Our main goal is to make it to the World Series,” Hill said.
May 18, 2012
Sports, Video