HP baseball was a program that was once viewed ruthlessly as a joke for the past few years going the last three years not even winning a single game. With a change of coaching staff along with new faces on the diamond, Coach Padilla and Coach Camacho aim to start a new era for HP Baseball, rebuilding the entire program completely and establishing a culture that will hopefully lead to championships.
This past year for the new era of HP baseball was not the greatest season from what it looks like on paper but definitely a step in the right direction. They were able to finally capture a win on opening day against Collins High School, setting the tone that times were different this year as the freshman dominant led team were eager to finally turn some heads towards the HP Baseball program. The goals for the program were simply to just flip the culture, implementing weight room sessions, conditioning, hitting cage, and intense practices that bring out the best in players each day, something that the previous coaching staff never did.
“We brought a new culture to this program who badly needed one, they needed a staff that actually cared about the success for our kids on and off the field, seeing the way these kids have responded to the grueling conditioning, long practices, intense weight room sessions. They are eager to bounce back from the early exit we had in the playoffs last year. Im excited to get things going, we have an amazing opportunity to bring back a CIF title to HP baseball and restore ourselves to our former glory.” – Coach Padilla, Manager
With the team now with a year of experience under their belt now a sophomore heavy team led by shortstop Alex Torres and Catcher Alex Camacho the dynamic sophomore duo look to build off on what seemed a promising freshman year. The coaching staff focused more on the youth movement throughout the program looking to start from scratch with a group of freshmen ready to jump straight into the varsity level as it is something they can build off for the next 4 years. This move seemed to have paid off massively as the program showed flashes of success, the biggest one being appearing in the playoffs this past year and making it past the first round before being knocked out by Wish Academy. This year the eager and hungry team looks to build off last season and be in the conversation for a league title along with a CIF title.
“Last season was a great start for us but unfortunately we lost in the second round. One thing that really got me was the mental side of the game. Whenever I made an error or messed something up, I was too hard on myself. That mindset didn’t just affect me – it affected the game and my teammates too. This season I’m focused on having a better approach mentally. I’ve learned that I have to let mistakes go and move on, focus on the next play. My goal is to stay disciplined and composed, just remember how much the game is better than my individual self.” -#1 Alex Torres, Shortstop
A season to keep an eye out for from the HP boys, with coaches pushing the young group of men everyday the ballplayers look to take the next step forward from what most have been their freshman year as they enter their sophomore seasons looking forward to maximizing their potential and having it translate to CIF championships. The rebuild has been long awaited from the program, and they surely won’t start from scratch without a CIF title to show for it.
Written by Rene Zendejas, writer