By: Carlos Sierra
Right before the 2020 baseball season was cut short due to the spread of Covid, the Bulldogs Baseball team held an outstanding 8-1 record, winning their first 8 games straight. This team was the best in the county and had a chance to make it far into the playoffs. Unfortunately, their journey to meet their goal of winning states was cut short due to the suspension of the season. However, for the coming season, the boys are ready to play, give it everything they have, and win it all. Not only for themselves, but for the 2020 seniors who didn’t get to go on “one last ride.”
The Braddock baseball team is jam packed with talent. Every player has something to contribute and together they are one deadly squad. Other programs have taken notice in the skill of our players. Last year we had a player from Braddock go play D1 Baseball at the University of Miami and we currently have various players on our team committed to D1 universities.
It’s no doubt the program has come a long way and grown in these past four years. One of the seniors, Daniel Verez, claims the key to this team winning was the change in culture. He says when he entered the program his freshman year, the team was “… coming off four years of being below average and had developed a losing reputation and complacency with mediocrity.” However, once this culture changed, they rose to the top and were a team that provoked fear in others. They were the #1 ranked baseball team in Miami-Dade last season and are planning to hold that rank this season.
One of our new players, Osvaldo Martinez is astonished by the culture here at Braddock. When asked on his impressions and thoughts on the team he commented, “Being new on the Braddock baseball team, I am really impressed by how much the team wants to win. Everyone has one goal in mind and that is to be the best high school baseball team in the nation.” Osvaldo further talked about the team’s mindset and how he’s never seen something of the sort before. He finds himself in the perfect environment surrounded by a great mentality where everyone wants to win, and everyone is willing to work hard for this goal. Martinez furthered this thought by saying “The winning mentality is contagious, but the brotherhood is what separates us from other schools.”
This team has high hopes and aspirations to win that state tittle. The team is surrounded by support; they believe in themselves and have a lot of faith from their coaches and school. As said by Verez , “This year we are on a mission not only for us, but for [last years seniors] as well. Nothing will stop us from winning the first state title in school history. These boys are hungry and ready to give it their all and the “144boyz” won’t disappoint.
The Watchdog 