Cypress varsity baseball is currently ranked first in Crestview League–with Villa Park second–and 13th in the state of California. The team won against La Habra on April 7 and April 8 and their current record is 17-5.

During their April 7 game against La Habra, tensions were high as the game lasted for 13 innings until Cypress won with a score of 2-1, leaving them exhausted but proud. The day after, Cypress came back to crush La Habra by the wide margin of 14-3. Senior captain Jake Delaquil emphasized the “mentality difference” between the two games, while senior and pitcher Drew Slevcove said that after their coaches “put some pressure on them,” they gained more confidence in themselves, which shone through in their performance. 

Many of the baseball players have personal goals for their futures in baseball. Delaquil signed with the United States Air Force and Slevcove signed with UC Santa Barbara. According to Delaquil, the high level of competition in California baseball keeps him motivated, and he’s proud to be part of “represent[ing] the school as the top team in the county.”

Junior Ben Martinez mentioned his big dreams for a career in baseball but emphasized being focused on more short-term goals like being “locked in” this summer. His motivation is being a good mentor and role model to his younger siblings.

Pitcher Landon Smith, a sophomore, is “excited for CIF and seeing how far [they] can go. [He’s] expecting [the team] to go far and [is] excited to come back next year and do the same.” Their championship mentality is rooted both in a history of winning and in their strong team community. Smith talked about how his teammates “really helped [him] a lot and they always have [his] back,” adding that “we’re all brothers and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Martinez similarly noted how the baseball team is “a great environment to be in, everybody wants to learn and everyone is rooting for each other.”