The feeling of camaraderie was surrounding the men’s baseball team throughout the game on Feb 21, as it went inning for inning against the Cypress College Chargers. But despite extra innings, the Warriors lost on the road, 9-8.

“We lost a close game and we made a lot of mistakes,” Nate Fernley, baseball coach, said. 

Overall the team has been leading the scoreboard, winning seven out of their nine games. The game against Cypress College was the second loss of the season.

Fernley said when games play out like this one, the team is encouraged because even though they lost the game it could have gone either way. He added that the team stayed in it and probably should have won in the end.

“This team is a pretty tight-knit team, but I don’t know how important that is to a team sometimes,” Fernley said. “Sometimes you say you got a really close team and they do well and sometimes you have a really close team and they don’t do well.” 

Fernley said he thinks that one of the team’s strengths is that it is really supportive of each other and there aren’t many confrontations between players, which helps the team when it comes down to game-time.

The team’s goal is to win a conference and state championship, and with the talent of this team they might do so, Fernley said. 

Rafael Ramirez, outfielder, Austin Watters, catcher, and Sean Issac, first baseman are newcomers but are promptly making an influence on the team.

“One of our strengths, is that we’ve been really balanced up and down our line-up,” Fernley said. “As far as break-out, those three freshman have performed really well right on.”

A strong line-up combined with positive chemistry are additives for an explosive season, Watters said.

“We’re actually really close, we all get along,” he said. “We know our role as a team and we know what we need to do to win.”

Fernley added that Alex Mistulof, pitcher, who started the first game of the season, has been pitching phenomenally.

But don’t think the freshman will lead the team alone. Fernley added there are four players who are returning that had a good year last year.

“I think these guys play the right way. Hopefully that translates to the fans.” Fernley said.