By Katie Bena, Staff Writer
On May 17th, the River Hill baseball team had an unfortunate ending to their season. With a 4-3 final score, the Hawks lost to Reservoir in a heartbreaker with the game going 12 innings. River Hill had lost their only game during the regular season to Reservoir, so they knew the game would be a challenge. Despite the upsetting outcome, the Hawks have a lot to be proud of.
The Hawks ended the regular season with a 15-3 record and 14-1 in the county. This led them to winning the Howard County championship. The title was their first since 2016 under first-year coach Craig Estrin.
The team had thirteen returning players from last year’s roster and were a close-knit group. Ryan Jee explained, “I had so much fun with the team both on and off the field. Our team bond was unbreakable which contributed to our successful season.” There were ten seniors on the team, Ryan McClellan, Sean McGowan, Ryan Jee, Will Kilcoyne, Ryan Pickus, Charlie Colvin, Matt Rogers, Michael Flaim, Will Zatkowski, and Daniel Sheehan. Each senior played a factor in the success of the season, and they will all miss playing together. Matt Rogers stated, “I have made a lot of close friendships on the team and will miss being with the team each day.”
The team will have long lasting memories from the season. Ryan Jee indicated, “After our wins we also knew how to celebrate, blasting music on the bus rides, going to team dinners, etc.” Matt Rogers also added that his favorite memory from this season was, “beating Atholton in the first round of playoffs.” In addition, Matt said that he will miss “batting practice in the outfield.”
The season may not have ended the way they had hoped, but the team is satisfied with their accomplishments. Ryan noted, “It’s awesome that we could end our senior year as county champs and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing coaches.” Winning a county title required a lot of dedication and hard work from each player on the team.
Many fans enjoyed watching the Hawks this season. Senior Alyssa Cuyun was a spectator of the team. “I enjoyed supporting the team. The last game was very nerve wracking, and was very fast paced. I was upset that they lost, but I think the team has a lot to be proud of,” she said.
Overall, the River Hill baseball team finished the 2022 season with a great record. It may not have ended the way they hoped, but there is always another chance next year.