Chariots Of Fire

 I woke up at ten o'clock a.m. for an inter-squad this morning and I loved every minute of it. Most kids would want to sleep in on a Saturday and get some rest after a long week, but I had no problem getting up to play some ball. An inter-squad is basically a scrimmage between your own teammates. The purpose of the inter-squad is to get fielders live plays off the barrel of a bat, hitters live pitches, and pitchers the chance to throw a few innings. Before beginning the inter-squad we take live BP (Batting Practice) and IO (Infield outfield). The inter-squad takes a lot of effort to complete because it requires roughly four hours of your undivided attention to complete. You always need to be aware of what is happening around you from backing up plays to running on and off the field in twenty seconds between innings (Or else you run at the end…) Another major purpose of the inter-squad is the competition aspect of it. Even though you love every one of you teammates, you are constantly competing for starting positions come the beginning of the regular season.

            Coach Shea explained that he wants a regional bid this year. One reason he wants the bid is because it is a great feeling to have a chance to compete for a College World Series title. Another reason coach Shea wants the regional bid is because Southern hasn’t gone two consecutive years without one bid to the regional. That statistic in itself is a great accomplishment for the school and the baseball program. It is something to really be proud of because it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of extra practice hours to maintain. A large reason Southern is able to make these tournament bids is because of the fact we have these four hour inter-squads every Saturday. It develops a strong sense of work ethic that you need to compete at a high level. A lot of excitement develops over the tournament this year because Southern has the opportunity to host the league championship for the regional bid. This kind of opportunity doesn’t come that often so we are hungry for the chance to play in front of friends, family, classmates, and faculty.