Baseball Season in Full Swing
Spring means the start of baseball. For Northfield, this means the start of the school’s first year as a 5A baseball team. The Nighthawks are coming off of a 13-10 year in 4A in which they went 9-3 in league play. The higher division will certainly come with new challenges, but new Head Coach David Miller is confident in his team. Asked about the team's outlook this year, he said, “...there’s some really great teams in our division, but we can beat anybody we play. We just have to play our game and play it right.” Coach Miller has been with the program since 2016, but this is his first year as head coach after taking last year off. This year, he is trying to incorporate some new strategies. He describes, “We have a big focus on team play. We’re trying to include a lot of mental strength strategies like breathing and mindfulness practice and slowing the game down, doing our best to be present in the moment.”
The Nighthawks started their season with a 5-1 record going into spring break, including a 24-1 win over Wheat Ridge High School in the season opener in a game played at Coors Field. Coach Miller believes this is an incredible opportunity for him and his team. “I think just the thrill of being in a major league stadium and stepping on a mound or in the batter’s box is just very special.” Junior Eli Jackson went three for three at the plate while also scoring three runs. Junior Louden Schoenfelder was two for two with a double and three runs himself. Pitchers Charlie Hayes, Jackson Taylor, and Henry Luther combined for just one hit and one run allowed in four innings. It was an all-around dominant performance by Northfield. (Image left: Head Coach David Miller)
The Nighthawks are led by two senior captains, Logan Bader and Ryder Wicks, who Miller described as “natural-born leaders.” However, Northfield’s early success is due to contributions from many players. They have seven players batting over .300, led by center fielder Eli Jackson batting .500, and six players with at least one home run. Junior Jackson Taylor has an ERA of just 1.17, allowing just five hits in his six innings pitched this year. Coach Miller said about this season, “I expect us to win the city. We have the talent to do it. We have the skills, we just need the mindset.” (Image right: Senior Capitan Ryder Wicks)
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