A coach’s first year always proves to be the most difficult, and after a successful first season, the sky is the limit for Damien Tippett’s varsity baseball team.

After a 24-10 record in his debut year, there is no reason the squad can’t build on that again in 2017. Returning seniors, including Trevor Hauver and Tommy Sacco, look to make up the backbone of a team that boasts a lot of firepower from both upper and underclassmen.
One thing Sacco is looking forward to is the opportunity to “set an example for the younger players.”

Obviously winning a state championship is the real reason why players such as Sacco step on the diamond wearing the Perry colors, a point that senior Hauver reiterated multiple times, but everyone plays sports because they enjoy it, and he added that he wants to “go out and have a good time” while competing as well.

The aforementioned skipper Tippett has no shortage of expectations either. “We’ve got five returning position players, so I expect them to be leaders and I expect them to set the example and set the tone,” said Tippett.

With a strong 3-1 home victory in their first power point game against Desert Ridge, the team is already off on the right foot for their strong season expectations.

On his team, Tippett added that “all those guys have the personality to embrace the pressure, I feel like we should win every game.”

That feeling of pride should rub off on the team every time they take the field. Sacco added to that saying that he is “looking forward to all of the important games we have to play against Hamilton, Basha, and the games where we have to prove ourselves when it starts getting close to state [playoffs].”

This team is no stranger to the spotlight, with many players on this squad having been in a postseason varsity situation multiple times throughout their careers.

Both Sacco and Hauver summed up their goals in one phrase, one that the rest of the team could surely agree on: state champs.