CO-CURRICULAR 140 ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE STRATHFIELD LUMEN 2024 “There may be people who have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter The 2023-2024 baseball season has been one of the most “played” seasons to date, with very few washouts or cancelled games. History will call it a “year of learning and team building,” owing to the abundance of new players, a new coach, and an acting MIC for half of the season. Thank you so much to Mr O’Connor, who willingly stepped in as MIC to look after not only the First IX but all three teams while I was on long service leave for Term 4 of 2023. I knew the teams would be in good hands. SPC baseball just wouldn’t be right if a De Meio wasn’t on the roster somewhere. Fortunately, both Peter and Michael signed up to coach together, in what has turned out to be Peter’s last season with SPC. His game knowledge, willingness to reflect, evaluate and improve, and genuine love of the game has benefited every player he has been a teammate with, coached, or mentored. Michael has demonstrated what it means to be an ideal SPC graduate, through unfailing assistance, hardearned skills, and knowledge of the game that he imparted to the U16 team. While softball is a similar game, Mr Tabbara certainly leapt into the “deep end” when he agreed to coach the U14 baseball team this year. New rules, new teams, and, not to mention, a much smaller ball, were the ingredients for a swift learning curve. However, as with all he does, Mr Tabbara rose to the challenge, took on feedback, and evaluated each game for something he and the team could learn. He also completed a level B coaching course and showed what it means to be an outstanding role model for young people. Let every home run bring celebration, and every strikeout the opportunity to improve. On paper, it may not look like a great season, but I am convinced that the improvement and skill development of all our baseballers grew exponentially throughout this season. Teamwork, camaraderie, and self-confidence, together with solid game fundamentals and new skill sets, will bode well for our 2024-2025 season. Baseball families are the best at SPC, without a doubt. Be it as legendary scorers and pitch counters, BBQ wrangling chefs, or cheerleaders on the hill to ‘taxi drivers,’ on behalf of the coaches and players, I would like to say thank you for your support. “Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.” – Yogi Berra BASEBALL Mrs F Warsop MIC Baseball Sviatoslav Boichak (Year 9, U16) Reaching For The High Fly Ball At Third Base James Prichard (Year 11, First IX) Slides In Safely At Second Base Ryan Banaghan (Year 8, U14) Catches The Ball To Get The Batter Out Antonio Ierardo (Year 8, U14) Showcasing His Pitching Prowess
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI3ODI1