The RB baseball program is on the rise. With a core group of starters returning from last season’s regional championship team, the Bulldogs certainly find themselves in a position to make great strides during the season and ride their momentum into the state playoffs. The last regional championship in baseball was 44 years ago. The Bulldogs hope to repeat that feat as well as win the sectional.

In just his second season as head coach, Mike Ziroli has taken measures to blow up RB’s image as a respectable baseball program. On the schedule this season are seven of the state’s top 50 teams (#16 Mount Carmel, #6 Wheaton North, #19 Sandburg, #39 St. Ignatius, #31 Fenwick, #47 St. Laurence, and #49 Nazareth). Also scheduled is perennial powerhouse and neighborhood rival Lyons Township.

“Since our conference is filled with some of the weaker teams in the area I thought it was necessary to schedule some tough teams,” Ziroli said. “We want to have the strongest schedule possible so we can be ready for the playoffs. The best way to be ready is to have experience against good competition.”

With the season already underway and the Bulldogs looking at a mediocre 3-5 start (record as of April 6th), the 2009 Bulldogs have an identity crisis. The Bulldogs can either sit around the .500 mark and show that they are an average team, start winning some games and establish themselves as a legitimate threat, or they can decide to not come to play and start marking up the loss column.

Senior southpaw pitcher Jon Prihodka says that the Bulldogs can take the winning path if the team just plays its game.

“I feel that against the bad teams we are on the right track but against the good teams there seems to be some intimidation in our guys,” Prihodka said. “We just drop against the ranked teams and play terribly. We can definitely beat these teams if we just believe in ourselves.”

Team chemistry, which is vital to success in high school baseball, is something that the Bulldogs have and take pride in. Whether it’s the coaching staff cracking jokes or the players horsing around on the bench, the team as a whole can get things done while having a good time.
           
Senior centerfielder Scott Rysz spoke of the freedom that the players share with the coaches.
           
“Ziroli and Sloan keep it loose,” said Rysz. “They let the players say and do pretty much whatever we want and we respect them for that.”
           
A 3-5 start is not what anyone expected out of the up and coming program. Keep a close watch on the Bulldogs to see when, or if the team clicks and overcomes this losing spell.

--Submitted by Kieran Brennan, Sports Manager