The 2015 Southern Lehigh baseball team has some new and some familiar faces. With seven seniors graduating last year, the players have put behind last year’s loss to Tamaqua High School in the District XI Playoffs and moved onto this year with high expectations.

“I expect to have a successful year with a lot of team chemistry,” senior Nick Hook said. “I also hope we have fun with the game and win the Colonial League.”

Team chemistry is important with any sports team. If you have it, it leads to success. If you don’t, it will usually lead to failure. The seniors have a job this season: to fill the spots of the players they lost to graduation last year.

“With every season, there are shoes to fill but with the talent we have, we are totally capable of filling those shoes no problem,” senior Jared Yext said.

Yext also said that he believes that this team will see the playoffs once again this year, but says that it comes back to team chemistry again. Everybody must be committed to getting better everyday to achieve the goal of making the playoffs.

Another key aspect to having a successful year is great advice from the coaches.

“It’s a new year, let’s go out and have fun. If we work hard, success will follow,” assistant coach Mr. Matthew Greenawald said. “It’s tough in sports; the bottom line is, winning is fun, and if you’re having fun, it will translate to winning. Most people who are successful hate losing a whole lot more than they enjoy winning.”

Mr. Greenawald also said that every team is different. Each year a couple of guys graduate, and a couple of new players come in. It creates a new dynamic as a team.

“We need to work hard at every practice and give it our all everyday ‘cause once the season starts, it will pay off,” Hook said.

The baseball team has high hopes for this season. From the leadership to seniors and coaches, to the team chemistry and talent around the board from the team, expect the team to go far.

The players encourage the student body to come out and support the Spartans. It only takes one, two, three swings closer to see their goal become a reality.