The Broad Run Baseball Team has shown flashes last season with two remarkable wins over local powerhouses. The Spartans came out victorious against Heritage. Later that season, on the road they pulled off an upset against Woodgrove, arguably the best team in the Catoctin District for the past two years. The following day, due to poor weather, the Spartans played Loudoun County High School in the Catoctin District Tournament Championship. Unfortunately, in the first inning, the Spartans intentionally walked one of Loudoun County’s hitters which allowed them to score four runs in the first inning, setting the tone for a 7-3 win. The loss to Loudoun County would put Broad Run a game shy of making regionals.
Coach Cassidy’s previous goal was to push the team to regionals, but now with the new system implemented where every team is automatically in regionals, their new goal is to go as far as they can. The Spartans showed that they were able to compete with the top teams in the state, however; they’re working to stay at that level consistently. “The kids are working hard every day to improve in every facet of their game,” Coach Cassidy stated. The Spartans have been training yearlong to see their hard work in the offseason translate into success on the diamond. This group of Spartans is recognized for their work ethic and strong core of leadership. When Coach Cassidy was asked where the Spartans found most success, he replied, “Our team defense will be our strength. We have a lot of guys who can make the routine play, and in high school baseball, a lot of games get lost by errors and walks. I’m hoping we’re very limited in the errors department, but I really feel like our team defense is our biggest strength.” The Spartans do have a returning cast from last year, Connor Bagby, Blake Chow, and JP Aesoph. They’ve stood out as the most experienced players with success on varsity in the years they’ve competed, as they’ve been honored with all-conference previously.
“Preparation is the biggest thing. I would work on catching, prepare my body more, because it’s more grueling,” Blake Chow responded, after it was clear he would make the switch from third baseman to catcher this year. The catcher position is considered the most important defensive position in baseball due to its involvement in every single pitch. “Pressure is a privilege. Pressure is given to only a few people, and it’s something that grace will do well in. Pressure will take care of itself.” Blake Chow set his eyes on becoming an all-district player this year per his goals and wishes to win the district championship to cap his Spartan tenure. On the other hand, Connor Bagby, the shortstop on varsity, was asked about his approach to leading this year’s group of Spartans. “This year I’m a captain. So one of the biggest things is keeping guys working hard throughout practice, and don’t let guys slack off. I’ve been here for years now. A lot of guys are looking up to me,” Bagby emphasized. He also mentioned that this year, the Spartans have a solid infield with Ezra Le, Kyle Watson, and Tyler Kovach.
Broad Run Baseball were set to open the season at home against Potomac Falls. Entering the game, Bagby was aware of Caden Bell’s speed on the mound. “Bell gets up to the high eighties to low nineties, but it’s going to be cold tomorrow. It’s definitely going to be a good matchup, but it’ll all depend on competing with him on the mound and getting him out of the game early.” The Spartans started the game off on the wrong foot, giving up three runs in the second inning. Fortunately, they were able to score in the last four innings to come out victorious 5-4. The Spartans committed three errors in the game, something the team looked to minimize.
Next up on their schedule is a historic matchup. Broad Run going against Stone Bridge. These two schools have a profound history across multiple sports. Last year, Broad Run lost to Stone Bridge by a run in what Bagby said should’ve been a win in their books, “It was a really close game throughout, good pitches on both sides. And then we got into one of the last innings and we made an error, and that error led to a double, scored two runs, and they got it done with two outs at the end of the game,” Bagby recalled, “Relating back to what I said, we just got to make the routine plays, limit errors, and I definitely think we have a good chance to win that game,” stressing the importance of limiting errors. Now, Broad Run has the opportunity to seek revenge against Stone Bridge on the road at 6:30 p.m. on March 23.
