After a hard, fought battled year, the Dons finished their season on Sat., May 7 against the Hillsdale Knights with a 9-3 win. The Dons struggled to find victories throughout their season, especially with the loss of many players due to injury, ending the season with an overall 13-14 record and 8-6 PAL-Ocean.
The team was led by senior starting pitcher Jordan Tong, who pitched 3.0 innings while only giving up two runs. Tong also had a stellar game at the plate, putting up three doubles and two RBI’s.
Says Tong on the game, “This is the only way I’d like [to close my career]. Pitching against Hillsdale, starting against them, there’s nothing more I’d want to end the season [with].”
In addition to Tong, junior Henry Kazan played a vital role in the team’s win on Saturday. Going 3-4 at the plate with two doubles and a sacrifice bunt, Kazan batted in two runs and scored another.
Behind the plate, sophomore Eliott Biagini played a solid game, scraping together three singles and an RBI off a sacrifice bunt with the bases loaded in the second inning.
“It was a great way to end the season,” says Biagini. “It felt good. All the vibes were good. So it was a perfect way to end it.”
Upon completing the season, the Dons submitted an application to qualify for CCS playoffs as an at-large big, and are now playing a different type of game: the waiting game.
Regardless of whether or not they play another game this year, the team has a lot to be happy about.
Says Kazan, “[I will] definitely [remember] the memories of my teammates. Not necessarily just baseball, but the memories we had on the field [and] off the field.”
On the season, senior Alex Athanacio says, “We have had a lot of injuries, which has really affected our season.” As a result of the abundance of injuries, the team had to find ways to make up for the lack of players and the loss of major positions.
Many other players were asked to fulfill the positions they hadn’t found themselves in during other seasons. “We didn’t have the roster we thought we would have at the beginning of the year,” says senior Nick Puccinelli.
Kazan says, “We had to rotate many players, due to injuries. We didn’t have a set third baseman or catcher, so there were many players that interchanged throughout the field, in order to play those roles.”
Although Aragon faced several tough losses throughout the season, they did find a successful six-game win streak in April. However, the streak wasn’t enough to offset their losses, leading to their eventual 13-14 record. “It’s tough when you lose those important games,” says freshman Camron Grant.
Regardless, the Dons still hope to find more success next year. After graduating the seniors, the Dons will have room for potential from the younger players. “I hope to see the underclassmen grow next year,” describes Grant. “I think the freshmen and sophomores on JV can definitely grow in the organization we have to help us find success in the following years.”
Adds Kazan, “We won a lot of games and beat some good teams, and we’ll be able to build on this season going forward.”
