The new MacArthur boys baseball team defeated Lathrop Intermediate in their first game 17-0 on March 19.  The baseball team will play a complete season, competing against other Santa Ana intermediate schools including Villa, Spurgeon, and MacFadden.  At least 13 other games will be played including the playoffs.

District Security Officer Mr. Freddy Gonzalez coaches the MacArthur baseball team and tries his hardest to keep the players motivated and happy.  According to Gonzalez, he encourages team members to play their best without giving up.  

The team practices once a week on Wednesdays for about an hour and a half. When asked if the practice is fun for him, coach Gonzalez said, “Of course it is! It’s a new experience for me and the kids.”  The reason he said that it’s a new experience is because, “Baseball is brand new for MacArthur, but I’ve been coaching middle school for 10 years and high school for 15.”  Gonzalez started playing baseball himself in high school and became very interested because he thought it was fun.  Today, he still plays in other adult leagues.

Seventh-grader Daylen Pedroza started playing when he was 13 because he wanted to try something new.  “Coach Freddy is my inspiration because he’s nice and knows what he’s doing,” said Daylen, “I’m very confident that we can win more games because most of the players have already played before.”

Another team member, seventh-grader Jonah Tristan, said that he looks up to his brother to play because one day he wants to represent the school like his brother represents his.  

A third player, Nathan Tagaloa, said, “I like being on the field because it makes me feel confident and relaxed at the same time.” Nathan’s motive is his dad. His dad is a coach who makes him really proud. “When I see him out there on the field, it makes me want to follow in his footsteps,” Nathan said.