As the seasons change and we get deeper into May, the Whitney Young Dolphins Boys Baseball team is getting ready for another strong playoff run. Coming off of an electric 7-6 walk-off win Monday night against Jones, the Dolphins are flying higher than ever. After the game Center Fielder Christian Katalinic (‘17) said: “We’ve really come to grow as a team and it’s becoming more and more evident in our play. Tonight was an awesome team win.”

While it has not been the best season for the Dolphins, they have time and time again routinely displayed signs of talent across the field. All of the pitchers combined post a 4.33 earned run average (well under the national average of 6.46) and the defense maintains a very high fielding percentage. A lot of the credit is due to a solid underclassmen effort. Freshmen Casey Coates (‘20), Kevin Coe (‘20), and Jake Hirschtritt (‘20) have all made a terrific impact in the field while sophomore Matthew Shuman (‘19) repeatedly shines on the mound. Coates (‘20) said: “It’s been an amazing experience being a part of this team. I’ve learned so much from these guys and can’t wait for more.” The Dolphins will surely look to some of their younger guys like Coates for help in their upcoming games.

As long as the Dolphins can find a way to keep the bats going, the City Championship (beginning this Friday) is well within reach. Co-captain and Catcher Jacob Salazar (‘17) had this to say on the upcoming schedule: “The team is well ready and excited for playoffs. We are looking to take all of this positive energy we have going on into the tournament.” Their last regular season game is Wednesday against Jones at U.I.C. at 7 p.m., and Jones will surely be out for revenge.