The baseball season has come to a close, and the Eagles have posted a 7-20 record, achieving a 7-5 record in non-league play. However, their record does not tell the full story.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, but we have been very, very competitive. Our non-league record is better than our league record, but we have competed with every single team in our league,” varsity head coach David Kinberg said. “We are constantly improving.”

Currently, there are three freshmen on the varsity team: Ty Viane, Cole Murth and James Pernin. Kinberg explained that in the 25 years he has been at Oak Park there has never been three freshmen players on the varsity team, and they haven’t just been sitting on the bench as reserves.

Viane has been a two way player, both hitting and pitching exceptionally. Murth has been playing superbly at shortstop, and Pernin, after overcoming injury, came back near the end of the season and played both as a second baseman and in the outfield.

One of the most significant wins of the season for the Eagles was a game against Foothill Tech High School, of which Oak Park won in a comeback fashion. Viane said that it was the “best win of the season.” Viane, who pitched for the majority of the game, helped the Eagles to secure a 5-4 win.

“We were down most of the game, but in the bottom of the seventh, we came back and won with a walk-off hit. We had been in close games before, but having been down for so long, the Foothill win just felt really good,” Viane said.

Kinberg said, “We’ve got a lot of great kids coming back, we have a lot of youth, and a whole lot of talent to be developed.”

The Eagles have now transitioned into their offseason phase, which includes an intensive summer conditioning period. Additionally, with seven seniors on this year’s varsity team, there will be plenty of new players in the 2019-20 season.

“This season has been really fun,” Kinberg said. “We have a great group of guys this year, who really worked hard, yet still kept the game in perspective. That is a really important thing to have in a team.”