“Charge it! All the way!” Coaches yell from the dugout.
This year for the first time in Detroit Cristo Rey history, a baseball and softball team will play in the Catholic League. The Wolves baseball team and the Lady Wolves softball play their first official games, players and coaches go into the season with different expectations and motivations.
“I want to teach all the underclassmen how to play, how to understand the game,” said Sydney Lester, senior softball player. “I was really nervous last week but now I’m excited because softball is just life.”
Koi Woodland, a sophomore on the softball team, said she wants the team to improve its skills in the first year, but “we want to win at least a couple of games for our season.”
Colbert Lucey, a teacher at Detroit Cristo Rey and coach of the Cristo Rey Wolves baseball team, holds similar expectations.
“We want to complete the season, complete every game, put a team out there, teach them about baseball, and grow from there,” Lucey said.
Lucey along with Luz Solis, a current softball player and DCR student, really pushed for the formation of the two teams. Solis even received an award in recognition of her efforts and determination to start a softball team in June of 2015.
“There had been attempts to start the baseball team before. When I came two years ago and said I could coach, Sue said yes,” said Lucey.
This season, the Cristo Rey baseball team has 14 players and four coaches. The softball team is made up of 16 players and three coaches. Both teams head into the season hoping win some games but more importantly be competitive.
