Entering the new school year, the Arcadia High School (AHS) Varsity and JV Baseball teams have officially started to get back on the grind, beginning the training process in preparation for their upcoming season that will take place in the spring. Looking back at last school year’s baseball season, our team had proudly finished it off with a major win in the Pacific League with a score of 12-2, and the Apaches hope to continue their success this year. Having many years of experience in coaching and playing on the field himself, AHS has been lucky enough to have had our Varsity Baseball coach Nicholas Lemas for 17 years, now. 

In the 2021-2022 high school baseball season, AHS only lost two out of the 14 total games played inside the Pacific League. The ending had been a very tight match as our team finished off the season against Crescenta Valley High School. Prior to the last game of the year, Arcadia tied with Burroughs High School for first place, both having two losses at the time. The League Championship would have had to be split between AHS and Burroughs, assuming that the two teams either both won or lost against other opposing teams. Coming to our very last game in the league, Arcadia was losing to Crescenta Valley. However, Arcadia ended up scoring two home runs in the last inning, winning the game with a final score of 3-2. As Burroughs lost their game against Burbank High School, Arcadia resulted in becoming the League champion. 

During their off-season in the fall, team members spent three days a week doing weight training in the morning before school started. Once the season came around, the weight room exercises toned down a bit as the team dedicated more of their practice time on the field until approximately 5 p.m. each day. 

As far as the playoffs went, our team played against some of the best in Southern California since AHS is in Division I, the top division in baseball. The Apaches played an incredibly tight match against San Dimas High School, a total of 12 innings in which we ended with a score of 2-3 in favor of the opposing team. 

Overall, Coach Lemas and the team was incredibly proud of the outcome of last spring’s baseball season. Despite the loss of many infield players as they were graduating seniors, some of the best pitchers in the team are coming back to play for a few more seasons along with other members who will be becoming new key parts to the team. 

“I always look forward to seeing how these kids develop,” states Coach Lemas. “It’s always exciting to follow the kids and see how they continue over the years.” 

To him, the trait that makes someone a good coach is their education and knowledge in the field of sport they’re teaching, as well as their time management and organizational skills. Most importantly, the passion of the sport should truly be there to gain the team members’ interest, encouraging them to work hard and take things seriously. As Coach Lemas believes he possesses all these qualities, he strives to continuously improve his team for the seasons to come. 

Photo courtesy of Ainsley Najafzadeh