Page 268 - 1998.Millard.North

After givin g the sign, sophomore Nate Ostrand
gets into position to catch the pitch in a JV game
against Omaha Benson. During thi s game, he had SLIDING
two hits. photo by Sa ra Lenz
Rounding third on his way to home plate is Alex
Sutt on. Thi s reserve game was against Bell evue East FOR THE
pl ayed at Millard North. photo by Ann Caughlin
HOME PLATE

By: Katie Swartz
A good balance of strong pitch- game because of the excitement of the
ing , defense and hitting is what estab- victories," freshman Chase Odenreider
lished the JV and reserve baseball teams. said.
The reserve players tried to build The JV pitching staff was lead by
upon the undefeated season they posted sophomores Chris Appuhn, Matt Kutler
last year. and Justin Hendrick. Offensively the team
They earned good defense, and was lead by sophomores Travis Van
hitting through the hard work that they put Deursen, Tim Merrill, Nate Ostrand, Matt
forth into their practices. Kutler, and freshmen Chase Odenrider
Freshman Mike Zagurski said and Tony Daniel.
the combination of playing a game he Team unity .worked well with the
loves and spending time with friends strategies of each game to gain the earned
made the season enjoyable. victories.
"Being with friends, plus the fact "The team is fundamentally sound
that it's a good time makes it a lot of fun ," and most of the players possess excellent
he said. work habits with their ability of strong
Although, there was the fun of hitting, defense and pitching," JV coach
spending time with friends, there was also John Swoboda said.
a serious aspect of the game. Having the For the reserve team, teamwork
ability to stay focused helped the team and cooperation was also necessary as
gain victories. well.
"I think about what I am doing, Teamwork was important for the
and I have to face one situation after offense because everyone needed to con-
another" sophomore JV player Nate tribute.
Ostrand said. "Communication was a key factor
With each situation, JV faced dif- to our success, because the defense only
ferent levels of intensity. "The best part works when individuals work together as a
of playing JV for me, was the action in the team," freshman Fran Johnson said.

Freshman Josh Cyboron gives the signal for the
incoming pitch. Cyboron, a Reserve player, was a
valuable asset for the team this year because of
experi ence. photo by Candice Eledge
Sophomore Matt Kutler looks on as his fellow
Mustangs are at bat. Kutler, a pitcher, helped post a
near perfect record . The pitching on th e season was
one of the team's strongest quality, according to the
coaches. photo by Sa ra Lenz