Our North Hollywood High School Baseball Team had the honor to compete in the 2024 CIF LA City Section Baseball Championship on Saturday, May 25, 2024.
Our Huskies played against Phineas Banning High School at one of the most famous baseball stadiums in the world, home of the LA Dodgers, Dodger Stadium.
After an impressive season, and an even more impressive playoff run, NHHS Husky Baseball found themselves only one game away from lifting the Division I LA City Section Championship.
Any high school athlete dreams of competing at the highest level and winning championships alongside their teammates, but what made this final game so special, was that it was played at one of the most iconic baseball stadiums in the world.
Cristian Calderon, a senior, who plays pitcher and right field, and is one of the captains of our baseball team commented, “Honestly it’s like a dream come true, I never expected us to make it this far. I remember last year I went to watch the final game, and it was just a distant dream of mine to go play in Dodger Stadium, but it’s a dream come true.”
Every player on the team looked forward to the game which they worked extremely hard for.
Nicolas Bautista, a senior, our team’s first baseman, added, “It’s surreal man, it’s really crazy. I went with the team last year to the playoffs and we got knocked out in the first round and I saw how badly it affected the seniors and just the team’s morale in general, so I’m pretty excited.”
While the players were full of excitement, it is very easy for one to feel pressure before a game of this importance, but our Huskies prepared themselves well, both mentally and physically, in order to be ready ahead of the match.
When asked what advice he’d give his teammates ahead of the game, Bautista added, “Just remember how bad we want it, how much we’ve worked, how much we’ve put in, you know. We have a lot less than other schools, we don’t have a field, we’ve had to take buses to practice and to every game. I think we’ve put in a lot more work than the rest of these teams, and we want it and we deserve it more than they do.”
Max Koster, a junior, who plays pitcher and left field, added, “Just keep the pressure off and realize how good of a journey it was to get here so that you don’t crumble under the pressure, and just have a good time. We’ve gotta think about what we’ve done to make it here, and the fact that we’re a capable team that knows we can win.”
Our Husky baseball team felt confident in the efforts they made throughout the year. Baseball is the only sport that practices for the entire year, which means that the boys have been dedicated towards improving while enjoying playing the sport for an entire year.
Koster said, “It’s just a great feeling knowing that all our work with our brothers has finally paid off to this moment and we’re gonna have a lot of fun. I think it’ll be a good game, I think it’ll come down to the wire, and I think we are gonna pull through because we have a lot of experience in close games.”
Our baseball team has developed a sense of unity which is rare among sports teams. This sense of brotherhood has been a big factor in their long journey to their final game of the season.
Bautista shared, “It’s always up to us, but he’s [God] got control over the universe, so we’re gonna put it in his hands and hope that he brings us out on top.”
The boys put in the work and did everything possible to prepare for the game, which paid off, as our NHHS Baseball Team left Dodger Stadium on Saturday, as Division I, Los Angeles City Section Champions.
The North Hollywood High School Baseball team earned the support and respect of all North Hollywood Huskies, many of whom showed their support by going to watch the game at Dodger Stadium.
Fortunately, they were able to witness our team come out with a victory, and earn themselves the opportunity to compete in State Championships.
