by Zachery Kledaras '24
March 21, 2023
It’s the middle of March and spring spirit is in the air! Delcastle is once again gearing up for its Spring sports season. People couldn’t be more excited! This year's spring sports are being led by a very talented group of coaches and athletes that are raring to take on any challenge. One coach - Coach Battafarano - is returning to coach Delcastle’s baseball team for his 22nd season.
Coach Battafarano is working hard to prepare his athletes so they can represent Delcastle to the highest standard, as the school has been doing since the spring of 1970. Athletes are training with a non-stop mindset. In an interview, Coach Battafarano elaborated, “Once we get started at about 3:30, it’s non-stop… you have to be efficient, you have to work hard, there’s no time to wait around… the focus has to be on the game for the entire two and a half hours." Through this training mindset, athletes are instilled with routine and are better prepared to handle their upcoming 7-inning games.
Physical training isn’t the only preparation athletes are putting into the season. Athletes are also team building and bonding to work together and form a formidable rival to other schools competing in the highly competitive Blue Hen Conference Championship. According to Coach Battafarano, “The first big goal is for a lot of the guys to really get to know each other. There’s a bond that's involved in sports that can’t be faked, it has to be real."
Coach Battafarano and his athletes are excited to once again - or for the first time - get out on the diamond and play ball!
While having a hard-working, dedicated, tight-knit team is crucial to the success of Delcastle baseball, that’s only half of the puzzle. Fans of the sport - students, parents, and school facilities alike - bear the responsibility of supporting the athletes and incorporating a more lively school environment. Coach Battafarano weighed in, saying “that [a large turnout of fans] creates the high school atmosphere and that’s something that is very unique to high school… I think a lot of times, as athletes, it’s just great to play in front of people that are cheering you on."
It is pertinent not only to Delcastle baseball but Delcastle as a whole that the Delcastle baseball team gets their fans continued support as each of the school’s 53 seasons carries with them a piece of Delcastle’s legacy. There is no better time than the present to watch a game and help support Delcastle’s hard-working baseball squad as they will try their best to make 2023 a memorable season.
Photo Credit: Jay Lopez '23