Baseballs fly through the air at impressive speeds, amassing the attention of sports fans worldwide, but what makes the LT baseball team stand out is the camaraderie and support the teammates share. 

The first home game at the Lion’s Den was on March 26, an intense game against Addison Trail, resulting in a 10-0 win for LT, with pitcher Mercer Krantz ‘25 throwing numerous fastballs, befuddling their opponents.

“I am most excited this season to win,” infielder Lon Roberts ‘26 said. “I think we are going to be really good, so hopefully we can make a run in the playoffs.” 

The team holds a strong belief that this season will be an improvement from the last, with hopes of progressing all the way to state. To get there, however, requires putting in the work, which athletes have been doing Monday to Saturday with practices every day when a game is not scheduled.

“We have definitely been defensively working pretty well, trying to minimize errors cause that’s a big part of the game,” third baseman Lou Ratcliffe ‘26 said, “We can hit pretty well but the fielding aspect has definitely been a struggle in the past so that’s what we are working on most.”

Like many other sports, baseball is a game that requires determination and resilience, Ratcliffe said. Not every swing will be a home run, so LT’s strategy this season is to keep a cool head during failure.  

“I’d say the hardest part of baseball is dealing with failure because you are going to fail more times than you succeed,” Roberts said. “So being able to stay optimistic mentally is probably the hardest part.”

Coach Kevin Diete and the athletes used last year’s loss as motivation this season to play as well as possible, making strides for progress this spring. 

“Many of the players are already self-motivated,” Diete said. “My role is to support them and remind them of how strong we can be as a team. We’re focused on building a solid foundation as we prepare for State.”

Baseball is also a physically taxing sport that requires the amount of effort during training to be monitored by the coaches to ensure athletes are not overextending themselves before games. According to Diete, monitoring their early progress as well as strength and conditioning helps ensure safety among athletes. 

“We make it a priority to take care of our athletes, especially early in the season,” Diete said. “The IHSA already has pitch count guidelines in place, and we stick to those limits to avoid overworking our players.”

Many athletes on the team carry the dream of playing Division I ball in college. Tucker King ‘25, Mercer Krantz, Luke Nicholaus ‘25, Angelo Lundeen ‘25, Tyler Kirk ‘25, and finally Dom Pisciotti ‘25 are already recruited and will compete competitively next spring. 

“The way our team has ended the past two years has taken a toll on me, but instead of looking back and being sad about it, I get motivation to succeed for all the teammates I had,” pitcher and Cincinnati commit Tucker King said. “The bond I have with my teammates has shaped me into the person I am today, and I’m going to look back at LT and be thankful for all the adversity and heartbreak, cause that’s what really shapes you for the future.”