This week the Rangers Varsity baseball team will be facing Mount Whitney in a two game series on Tuesday and Thursday. The Rangers are 13-5 on the season and the Pioneers are 6-11. This will be the first time the Rangers face Whitney this year after losing all three games last season.
Dan Hydash, head varsity coach for the team says, “We’re going to approach this game like we do every other game, just practicing to prepare to compete at a high level.” Hydash explains that last year they had a different mindset, the team fell into some complacency towards the end of the season and clinched an outright league championship, but, “It is important we learn from our mistakes.” Hydash goes on to say, “Overall throughout the season we have been playing very well, so it’s important that we stay consistent with that.” According to Hydash the strategy for Tuesday is to take a “game by game approach”, and just play like they have been all season.
Issac Esquivel, ‘25, is a starting shortstop for the Redwoods varsity team. Tuesday and Thursday will be Esquivel’s first time playing against Whitney and under the lights at Rawhide stadium, so this is an especially important game to him personally. He says, “The key to this game is preparation in and out of practice so you can really be focused for when the time comes.” Being a sophomore on varsity can be challenging, and starting for such an important game can be very nerve racking. Esquivel explains,”It can definitely be a bit scary at times, but I just push through and try to do the best for my team.” Esquivel finishes by saying, “I’m just looking forward to the game, and hoping we’ll bring a D1 championship this year!”
Reece Bueno, ‘23, starts off by saying, “I’m really looking forward to this game, as a team we’re fairly confident and we’re just gonna go out there and have fun.” Bueno explains that the best part of these rivalry games is the energy; “The energy and the crowd is definitely the part I’m most looking forward to, it’s always fun to play in front of a lot of people.” With such an important game ahead of them, Esquivel and Bueno are very focused on practice and preparation before the game. “I’ve been going out to a bullpen in fresno and hitting there, pretty much doing anything to be ready for tuesday.”
Bueno finishes by saying, “Go Rangers! Let’s win this!”
Emma Jenan
Emma Jenan is a '25 second year journalism member of the Redwood Gigantea. She is interested in writing any article, but sports stories are her favorite. Emma is a part of the redwood tennis team, and is a varsity member. You can reach her by email:
emma.je8807@vusd.us
Tags: rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood rangers, visalia ca
