Baseball swings into season

As the spring season commences, Samo’s baseball team faced Hart High School in their first home game on Feb. 25. After months of hard work and training, the team is excited to see what’s in store for the upcoming season. Adam Klein, the new coach for the Samo baseball team, has been preparing the team for the upcoming season in his own innovative way.“People often think that they need to solely focus on the fundamentals of the game prior to the season,” Klein said. “I take a slightly different approach.”In addition to conditioning, Klein stresses the importance of engaging in mental training exercises. He tries to incorporates five minutes of some form of meditation into every practice. “I am big believer in building a cohesive environment,” Klein said. “My goal, each and every year, is to create an environment where these kids develop relationships with one another that they take with them way beyond high school.”The team has worked towards this goal by doing volunteer work, fundraising, attending other Samohi athletic events and other team building activities. According to Klein, doing such proves to be very beneficial, as the student’s closeness with one another often results in better performance during the game.Christian Velasquez (’18), the team’s second baseman, thinks the team is off to a good start with their practices.“We’ve been practicing every day and we’ve been playing preseason games,” Velasquez said. “I think it’s been going pretty well and I’m excited for the season.”Klein’s hopes for the season stem not from the results of each game, but rather the process and the focus of the team. And he also finds that the coach of a team holds a certain responsibility for the students’ achievement of their goals.“Our goals for the upcoming season are simple,” Klein said. “Give 110% effort both in the classroom and on the baseball field one day at a time. Find a way to learn, develop, and improve both on and off the baseball field. Maintain a positive attitude.”Being that this is his first season coaching at Samo, he is extremely impressed with the team’s improvement so far, as well as their cooperation and ability in adapting to the new system.“Ever since I got drafted to play professional baseball, I immersed myself in the coaching world during the off-seasons,” Klein said. “I have been coaching the past 10 years, and I believe my calling is to coach high school baseball.”  Having grown up in the area, Klein said he saw this as a great opportunity to continue to build upon the tradition of excellence of Samo’s baseball program. Jack Kelly (’18), who plays shortstop and centerfield, expressed his excitement for the upcoming games.  “I’m looking forward to having a great season and getting closer with the team,” Kelly said.