THE JEFFERSON VARSITY BASEBALL TEAM HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR NEXT SEASON By: Ryan Mylod

 

Image taken by Geoff Magliocchetti, The Jefferson Chronicle

The Jefferson Township High School Varsity Baseball Team had a successful season this past year, making it to the Elite Eight in the crazy and unique last dance tournament. It was a great event and new experience for Jefferson, playing teams they never played and making every game more important than ever. Once your team lost a game, your season was over. With the 2020-21 season fast approaching, how will Jefferson be as good as last season, losing Zack Roskowsky, John Knox, and Justin Cece who are key players on the Jefferson squad? The team hopes to continue with their success, as one of the players has high hopes for the upcoming season. 

I asked Tyler Ruban, a Varsity baseball player that is a Senior this upcoming season, some questions about next season and how Jefferson was so successful last season. Ruban is a Varsity baseball player on Jefferson who is a prominent infielder that loves the game. I asked him how he thought the team did last season in the Last Dance Tournament and played in a different environment. “I thought making it to the Elite Eight with not much practice was a big accomplishment,” Ruban says. 

Making it to the Elite Eight in the tournament was a big deal for the team, almost beating Don Bosco Prep, a good baseball private school that always has many recruits by Division I Colleges. Additionally, many of the schools had many more players to utilize in this tournament compared to Jefferson. In the tournament, the Jefferson Falcons made it to top 16 in the state, while nearly 200 other schools got knocked out prior to this point. Saying this team was not successful last season is an understatement. 

Jefferson had a great season but could the team repeat it, as graduation Senior Zack Roskowsky leaves the team. I asked Ruban what he will do to be a leader as a senior on the team. “I will make sure to step up, keep everyone in line, and be a leader to help this team be successful next season,” Ruban says. 

I also asked him how he thinks the team will do this upcoming season. “Just as good as last year, if not better,” Ruban says.

Ruban’s baseball career has made a positive impact for the team, making the Varsity team as a Freshman with very competitive players on the team that all love playing the game. As a fielder and hitter, he compares himself to Derek Jeter, a star shortstop on the NY Yankees, as someone who loves the sport. Ruban also enjoy’s playing shortstop like Jeter which is known as the leader position in the infield. Believe it or not, Jeter was also a New Jersey native and was in the MLB for the Yankees for 20 years. Ruban would like to improve his game by becoming stronger and improve his game in all ways. Ruban would also like to continue to play ball in college. 

A majority of the Varsity team next season will be Seniors. The Falcons have high expectations going into the season and have a legit shot at making the state tournament and going far. The Falcons also hope to be successful in the county tournament as well. Most of the players have been playing ball together and are able to communicate well with each other.  With many of the players on Varsity for multiple years, this season should be one to remember. 

Even with an unexpected season last year, the Falcons hope to play a full season and show off their talent of how good of a team they are. The baseball squad wants to prove to the state that any game against the Falcons will be a battle. Hearing rumors from their coach, he believes that this is the season that the team can go far in the tournament. As fans of the game, we shall see what happens next season and how successful Jefferson will be.