On February 23, 2023, Steinbrenner’s varsity baseball team had their very anticipated opening home game versus the Plant Panthers, and many friends and family filled the stands to cheer on the team. 

Going into the game the team had knowledge of their opponents’ strong qualities and prepared accordingly. 

“We had practice Monday and Wednesday of the week, and we focused on our hitting since we knew Plant has some good arms,” said senior and catcher JW Stephens. 

The day of the game is filled with pressure and trying to keep your head in it, so the locker room is filled with loud music and yelling to stay hyped up for the game. 

The first inning opened with junior Carter Stern as pitcher and the team managed to strike out Plant’s batters. Once the Panthers take the mound, junior Cayden Hessemyer goes up to bat first and hits the first homerun of the game.  

The team is extremely supportive of each other by screaming their names and numbers, shaking the gate to cheer on the batter and they also yell ‘skiboe’ at each other. 

“Skiboe was a thing the team used years ago when they won states,” said junior and first baseman Brady Michaels. However, it is something only the team fully understands. 

In the first and second innings, Steinbrenner’s outfield was also successful with junior Benjamin Scotch catching the balls being hit by the Plant batters.  

But it took a toll when Plant scored their first homerun and continued scoring, however our Steinbrenner Warriors pulled through in the sixth inning with five homeruns from the team, and the team ended the final inning with a winning score of 6 to 5. 

The game concluded with the teams congratulating each other on a good game, and the Warriors head back to the lock room with a smile on their faces, proud of their win over Plant. 

“I think the most important thing is to treat every game like a playoff game, that is how we treated the Plant game. Doing this keeps everyone locked in and ready to go,” said Stephens. 

With the big win over the Panthers, Steinbrenner is confident in their abilities to continue and have a season that takes them as far as they can.