While joining the LASA raptor baseball team’s after school practices during their 2025 spring season, I got the chance to observe the incredible inner workings of the baseball program. My week there was very positive and fun, and I got to learn a lot from everyone I talked to.
I learned so much about the sport, and the friendly culture of its participants. Junior Henry Strandwitz, a captain, showed me how to throw properly, and freshman Connor Abell taught me what it takes to bat. The head coach, Eric Martanovic, kindly showed me the different drills and activities that took place during each practice.
The stretchy blue tubes of elastic hanging from the baseball field’s fence bewildered me at first, but Martanovic explained they were resistance bands meant to strengthen players’ throws. By fighting against the tension while pulling on them, players loosen their arms up for the day’s activities. After a few minutes with this exercise, my teammates for the day started with warm-up exercises where they stretched, ran, and soon split up into respective teams.
One of the coaches, LASA alumnus Keegan Anderson, had the creativity to name two groups who would be playing each other the “Alphas” and “Sigmas”. He assigned each player to one of the two teams, which would rotate in the batting cage, where I myself learned how to make consistent contact with the ball.
The other group would practice on the field. I was struck by all the different skills they had to employ: catching, batting, running, and throwing. The team always knew exactly what to do as a product of hours upon hours of practice; it felt like a well-oiled machine. At the end of my first day there, Martanovic got the whole team together to play 21 outs. The game was a good exercise to help players catch balls from the bat seamlessly. If the team was able to successfully get 21 outs, they could wrap the practice up. After making it to 21 outs, a difficult feat for the players, the practice ended with an encouraging team cheer, leaving my ears ringing.
On another day, when JV-B was practicing on the field while JV-A and Varsity were rotating stations of the batting cage and running plays on the field, there was a clear sense of purpose shared between the players. I noticed they had no problem talking to and helping each other.
It was a very positive experience and refreshing to see such a great team with players who have high spirits. One player, junior Madoc Elder, explained how baseball is part of his life’s purpose and something he looks forward to at the end of each day. I came to realize how the players on the team are all dedicated and driven by the sport, and I could definitely see that in practice, as Martanovic needed not even to teach, but to refine the players’ skills.
During the practices, I learned how baseball works, the responsibilities of different positions, the equipment, and even some players’ favorite exercises. As my final day at practice ended, a new perspective had been opened in my head. Thanks to Martanovic and the players, I gained a whole new insight into how collaboration can beget success.
