As cliché as it may seem, the old adage of “team work makes the dream work” holds true with any championship-caliber team. The varsity baseball squad is no exception. “We wouldn’t be where we are without [the coaching staff of] Harder, Mota, and Hauver. Those guys are amazing,” states Head Coach Damien Tippett.

The recipe for this team’s success also stems from superior work ethics. “I really appreciate is the hard work our kids put in,” Tippett says.

A fast start to the season has the entire team optimistic. “We’ve played consistent,” stated senior Wacy Crenshaw, “been hitting the ball pretty well, playing good defense.”

An enormous boost in morale came following the team’s victory in the Bob Everett Classic tournament. The Pumas dispatched Mesquite (10-0) and Skyline (6-0) on the way to the championship game of the tournament, coming from behind in that game to defeat Red Mountain 16-8. “It definitely gave us confidence that we can score a lot of runs and hit the ball throughout the whole game…we were down 8-0.”

“We expect to win every game we play. After getting to coach most of these guys throughout the offseason, I expected to have a good year. This is a group of old-school tough ballplayers who know they’re never out of a game,” said Coach Tippett.

“This is the most resilient team I’ve coached,” added Tippett.

Smith has emerged as a powerful presence on the roster. “He has matured as a player a ton over his high school career. He has improved a lot every year of his high school career, and he competes in everything he does – from pitching, to hitting, and even to conditioning drills – he has the mentality that nobody is going to beat him,” stated Tippett.
This is a theme with the entire squad, one that Smith summed up by saying that “It’s a team game, as long as we win, it doesn’t matter how I do.” For this team, individual accolades are of no importance; the only number that matters is the one in the win column.