Baseball Post Season Preview - Patriots and Vikings
The Patriots:
The Pinecrest Patriots have been on the cusp of earning a state title for years, playing in the championship game in 2022 when Providence delivered a pair of losses in the best of three series, starting with 3-0 in game one, and falling 3-0 in extra innings to finish the season.
In the dugout were the now co-captains of Pinecrest – Eythan Reynolds, at shortstop, and Mitch Baek, at first base.
“We have a really good connection,” Reynolds said. “We’re all bonding as we go through the season, so we’re getting tighter knit.”
The two seniors hope to bring a similar level of leadership into the dugout that they once were on the receiving end of.
Maintaining a winning culture within the program relies heavily on leadership from the upperclassmen. Baek and Reynolds are eager for postseason action with the young team. “I think we have a lot of talent,” Baek said. “Our arms are really good and our bats are coming in hot. We’re getting a lot more hits than we did at the beginning of the year.”
The same enthusiasm was shared with his teammate. “I think our starting rotation can hang with anybody,” Reynolds stated. “Our pitching is there, and our bats are coming along, and we’re hoping to stay hot through the postseason.” While Reynolds said he is still waiting for the right fit, Baek signed his intent to play for Grinnell College, a smaller liberal school in Iowa. But before next year, the two know this year is far from finished, and they attribute the team’s success to a group of underclassmen who have stepped up as next man.
“I think one big challenge is we’re very young,” Reynolds said. “The majority of our team is in their first year on varsity, so I think they’re still going to be still adapting and getting used to the culture.” Before the senior class graduates, the co-captains want to ensure they are leaving a program the same way they entered it. “We’re trying to mold them into better seniors for next year,” Baek added.
The Patriots get a first-round BYE and will wait to see who they will host on Tuesday.
The Vikings:
The Union Pines Vikings is eager for their postseason chances, though the program will finish the regular season below .500, the postseason turns over a new opportunity to win in May for the Vikings as they hope the supportive culture can translate into a few wins in postseason play. “We’ve had a lot of teams that didn’t have a ton of talent that were super close-knit and that made a difference,” Union Pines head coach Eric Marion said. “It’s not about the wins but developing these kids. We come out each night obviously wanting to win...But we’re learning. Maybe something about baseball or something about ourselves.”
The enthusiasm for the program runs as deep as its counterparts, and it is exemplified in the dugout. “Every night they come out to compete, and maybe once upon a time that wasn’t the case,” Marion said. “Our guys show up and they’re ready to play every night. They don’t care about who’s across from them.” The athletics culture at Union Pines continues to build yearly, and Marion said the excitement is felt throughout the school. “That’s the school-wide thing, too. We show up and know that on any given night, we’ve got a chance to beat the team across from us. That’s been big for the culture of our school.”
Union Pines will face Lee County to open up postseason play on Monday, a team the Vikings defeated in regular season action. “As long as you win and keep winning, we have a chance,” Marion said. “If we can string together two or three wins right here at the end, then I feel pretty confident that we’ll be in the playoffs.”
Written and photos by Sarah Bloom
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