The Revere baseball team started their 2018 season with aspirations to improve their standing as a team through new opportunities.

To kick-start the season early, the varsity team traveled to Myrtle Beach during the spring break in March to play a variety of teams from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Wisconsin, where they earned a record of 3-2. Senior pitcher and first baseman Michael Murphy noted the unity of the team this year to create a positive attitude for the season.

“It’s really a different group than it was last year. The atmosphere’s different. We’ve really come together as a team, especially compared to prior years. . . . I think that starts with the attitude of creating a winning atmosphere that we didn’t have in years past. We have a lot of players who [are] dedicated, and we want to win,” Murphy said.

Coming into the season with a winning record, the Varsity team led the charge with notable wins over teams such as Highland, Wooster and rival Copley. Junior pitcher and outfielder Karl Land described the mentality of going into a game to compete with the right mindset.

“We have a thought process of before going into the game to win the first two-inning war. It . . . sets us on the right track. If you win that, you’re set up to . . . win the rest of the game.  You’re forced to be focused, to get in the game and not be down by six runs by the end of the second [inning],” Land said.

An element that helped the team to build coherence and unity during the season involved taking character classes before the season began. Varsity coach Stephen Wido described the benefits of having character classes for the team.

I think [the character classes] are effective, especially when the season starts. When things don’t go the way they want to at times, because that’ll happen no matter what team, you have something to fall back on. . . . It builds a foundation for team conversations during the season for when sometimes things need changing a little bit,” Wido said.

A highlight of the season included the opportunity for the varsity team to compete at Cleveland’s Progressive Field against Chagrin Falls High School. Even though Revere lost the game 12-3, the experience of playing at the stadium allowed players to practice and play in places where current MLB players practice and compete. Murphy described his experience while playing at Progressive.

“It was the coolest thing I’ve ever done. We went in where the players went in. We took batting practice where the players take practice. We got to see on the whiteboard [in the Indian’s locker room] the scouting reports and everything. [We also got to see where] Tito [Francona] and Mike Napoli used to play cards before games, and I had to make sure not to touch any of the cards they played [with]. . . . [The Indians] were in Baltimore at the time, [as] they had an away game, and the field was open then,” Murphy said.

With the progression the team has experienced through playing recent games, the team remains hopeful to compete for the rest of their season to build up their skills for the playoffs. Junior pitcher and outfielder Reid Barton expressed his excitement for the rest of the season.

“I’m really looking forward to competing to win districts. I think we have a good chance of definitely going farther than years prior.

Barton additionally commented on the thought process a player must possess to compete at a competitive capacity.

“A clear concept and mindset of everything you do is for the team. It’s not an individual sport; you have to think about [how I] can help the team win, and you really have to focus on that instead of worrying about yourself as an individual,” Barton said.

The varsity team currently stands with an overall record of 14-14.  Revere recently won the district title for the first time in Revere history against Woodridge with a score of 4-2. The team will play Tallmadge High School next away on May 24th at Hudson High School. Seniors on the varsity team include Blaise Amato, Michael Amentini, Charlie Fink, Paul Liccardi, Michael Murphy, Jake Petersen, Jack Schloss and Audric Wertz.