It was bittersweet for the Gladiators as they put their gloves down after the last game of the season. The team traveled to Rio Vista and after a gallant effort, the Eagles soared high with a final score of 2, Italy 1.

“This season was an up and down one for us. We just were not able to put it all together and rise up to play at the level that we had hoped for. I feel that we were better prepared for this season in what to expect from every team in the district. We are in a very good baseball district, each team is very well coached and each game was a fight. We definitely put a scare into several teams. If we can find a way to put it all together, pitching, hitting, and fielding, each game for 7 innings, we will be a force to be reckoned with,” Coach Ward explained.

Coach Ward will miss the graduating group from this team, “The seniors on this team are a great group of kids to be around. I have enjoyed being able to coach them for the last 4 years, and I am definitely going to miss them. This group loves to play, works hard, and just has fun playing the game. These seniors helped to make Italy baseball something that other schools need to pay attention to. When we won the district title two years ago, these seniors were instrumental in helping the team achieve that goal. They continued to help build this program and create more excitement around here about baseball. It has been a pleasure being a part of these guys lives. Thank you seniors.”

Continuing the Gladiator tradition is the goal of Coach Ward and the varsity baseball team, “The future of Italy baseball is exciting and I am looking forward to next year and building on what we have started here. I hope all the returners from this year, along with the upcoming freshmen, realize the hard work it takes to build this program into a championship contender. It is not something that is going to just happen overnight, it takes lots of hard work and I hope that these younger guys are ready to put that work in. We will be playing in a summer league this year, which will be great for these kids in getting more experience and working to become better ball players.”