The WMS Warriors baseball team came off a rocky regular season with a 6-3 record heading into the playoffs. The boys got a spark of firepower heading into the championship and showed it by obliterating Iselin on the road in the championship.

7th and 8th grade WMS teacher, Coach Malmstrom stated, “It was an incredible feeling, especially beating an Iselin team who was undefeated. They were an excellent baseball team and it even felt better to beat them in the championship. Mr. Thomsen and I thought we had the better team from the start and we actually showed teams what we were capable of doing.”

Malmstrom says middle school baseball is all about working with the students. Though it’s a “gradual process”, he likes to see them get better from the first day of tryouts to the end of the season. Since the whole team made the honor roll, it was even more “special” to Malmstrom.

The key to making the team is by practicing over the summer according to Malmstrom. He doesn’t recommend practicing only the week before tryouts, and wants the kids to be prepared. Malmstrom says he thinks the coaches will be looking for a “winning attitude”. He describes a winning attitude by “strong communication on and off the field positively, picking up teammates, getting excited teammates, and wanting the ball at all times.”

Gym and Health teacher, Coach Thomsen said their win was “satisfying”. “The first two times we played them it was frustrating because we felt like we had the better team all along. In the championship, we showed it and we were proud of what we accomplished,” Thomsen mentioned.

“It’s the toughest adjustment to the 60/90 fields; it’s frustrating a bit. We had a great group of kids this year though. Most of them had a good background on the basics, which helped,” Thomsen responded on what his favorite part of middle school baseball is.

Thomsen recommends that the kids get on the bigger field to prepare for tryouts. He says they should practice making the longer throws and swing the heavier bats.

8th grader, Izaak Sacred Promise Andrewz said, “It felt good, it felt good. We were so fired up after winning all of those games. It was even more special because we made it there and won it,” explaining how it felt coming off such a high win.

Andrewz thinks the best part about middle school baseball is the games in general. He enjoys the effort the kids portray, the energy, and the excitement during the games.

When the whole team was “down in the dumps”, Andrewz managed to pick them up, leading them to most of their wins this season. Andrewz explained what the key is to being motivational, “By cheering them up and cheering for the team. Giving them compliments and positivity when they mess up.”

8th grader, Jimmy Boelhower thought we played “good” against the undefeated Iselin. Boelhower said that we showed the district that any team is capable of beating one another.

“The energy and the excitement. I get to play with my friends and have fun. Some of the teams in the league were really good and the others weren’t that great, but I had a good time,” stated Boelhower when questioned what he enjoys most about middle school baseball.

Boelhower was one of five to be the first back-to-back middle school baseball champions. He said it felt good to represent our middle school n a good way. “We cemented ourselves into history,” Boelhower said.

“Even though I couldn’t play, I helped out with the coaches and the dugout by keeping it fun and doing the score book. I helped by bringing positivity when my team was down,” Boelhower explained.

7th grader, Dean Fiore thought it felt “great” to beat Iselin. He said that the season was even more fun because all his friends were on the team.

“It felt exciting. I represented my school in a good way and I can walk around with pride saying I won a championship as my first year on the team,” stated Fiore.

Fiore said his favorite part about this year was pitching for the team. He said he “loves” the intensity and whenever he’s struggling, he takes a deep breath to refocus. In the semi-finals, Fiore worked out of a jam collecting three consecutive outs with the bases loaded.

7th and 8th grade teacher, Coach Olvesen, said, “ It was definitely a great experience. It always feels good to win a championship on the other team’s field and that’s something we haven’t done.”

Some advice Ovelsen would give to the kids is “just to play your best and try your hardest. The big thing though, is to have fun while your doing it.” mentioned Olvesen.

“A lot of instruction that goes on for teaching the game is what I tend to like,” Olvesen explained.

8th grader, Kaelyb Barahona said it felt “amazing” to win his 2nd championship with some of the same teammates from last year. “Good. Again, I just like playing with my friends. I’m pretty sure that was our first win at JFK ever which was exciting” Barahona stated. Barahona’s favorite part about middle school baseball is just about playing with his friends and having fun while doing it.

The WMS Warriors were the first middle school baseball team to ever win back-to-back titles. Tune in next year to see the new group of boys as they try to shock the township again winning their third title.