The baseball season is only just underway for the Panthers, and training is already in full swing. Having started the season with wins over Pope John Paul and Somerset, they now have a (5-2) record and sit fourth place in the district, behind University School, North Broward, and Coral Springs. According to Sophomore Zack Kone, who recently committed to play baseball at Duke University, the  team will be able to recover from their losses as the season progresses.  In the end, Kone believes the Panthers will come out of the district in first place, following the lead of pitchers Steven Goldberg (Senior) and Chandler Cissel (Junior), who are both having tremendous seasons on the mound so far. Cissel also acknowledged the team’s potential this season, saying, “We’ve had a pretty solid season so far, but we know we can do better. If we keep working hard, we feel like we can end up where we want to be by the end of the season.”  Additionally, Sophomore Adam Saks and Juniors Alex Perez and Matt Rothenberg are carrying the team with their bats, all with batting averages over .400.  “We’re still a young team, but we are able to hold our own with many of the senior loaded teams in our district. We’ve scored 60 runs in our first six games this season, and we are looking to try and maintain that pace throughout the season,” Rothenberg added, describing the sense of optimism among his teammates.

Despite the stellar play of a few individuals, coach Glen Pierson continues to stress that the Panthers’ success has been a team effort.  Coach Pierson also added that everybody needs to contribute in order for the team to achieve their goals of winning Districts and then States.

Lastly, Seniors Daniel Fine (Tampa) and Steven Goldberg (Lehigh) have all committed to playing baseball at the college level, and the Pine Crest community wishes them the best of luck in the future.  Come on out and support your Panther’s Baseball Team as they try to make history in a run for States!