Vandegrift High School is known by the students for its incredible football program and its Bootcamp the players endure every year, but now our baseball program has stepped up creating its own version of the Bootcamp to pursue the same greatness as the football team.

“At times they don’t trust in their ability, and the way that they can play the game”, Head baseball coach Jarod Hickle said. “So, for us, this Bootcamp is designed to where now they know they can play at a really, really high level when things are on the line.”

The Bootcamp goes way beyond giving the players the confidence they need to play the game. It gives them the ability to lead their teammates and classmates on and off the field.

“Whenever the group or the team completes their 21 Perfect outs, it gives them a level of confidence”, Hickle said. “ It’s an enthusiasm for the program and each other that’s unmatched and will never be taken away from them.”

Seniority is a huge factor in school activities everywhere, so just as an older sibling gets in trouble for stepping out of line, so do the senior leaders. As a leader and upperclassman, the younger guys tend to follow by example.

“It’s mostly the players that lead and encourage. The coaches have to sometimes get on you for not encouraging your teammates or not sprinting to every drill,” senior and viper baseball player Cade Cunningham said. “I think the players are actually the most important part of Leading the boot camp, getting everybody bought in and in love with the process.”

With Football progressing so far into playoffs it gives the multisport athletes less time to prepare for the baseball season or other sports.

“Since we’re following what coach told us to do, we already know what to expect with Hickle’s practices and games,” Cunningham said. “Not knowing what he’s gonna expect from them since they’re coming in late gives us an advantage because we’ve been through it. We won’t forget.”

The tryouts may come and go, but in the end, a team is where individuals work together to reach their goal. You can be at each other’s throats during tryouts and scrimmages, but when it’s time to win you’re a team again.

“I think in the end when we get here in the spring we are all Viper baseball players, and it doesn’t matter if they’re two-sport athletes or one sport athletes,” Hickle said. “we’re all going to be moving in the same direction, which is to hopefully make a splash in this district.”