AFTER A challenging past few seasons, Cascade Middle School’s baseball team recently earned the title of conference champions. Cascade High School alumnus and boys head baseball coach, Justin Reese, played baseball from the age of 4 up until his high school career. During Reese’s senior year at Cascade High School in 2012, the baseball team finished third in the state, and at that time they were the best team in Cascade history.
Reese is in his fifth year of coaching baseball. He spent his first two years coaching at Liberty Middle School and the last three years coaching at Cascade Middle School. Reese has a lot of pride in being a former Cascade student and said it was neat to “get one back” as the head coach. Reese said two of the most significant components that helped the team win the championship are confidence and teamwork. He said, “Baseball is a total team sport. It takes nine of them out there on the field, but it takes the whole team to gel together like we did this past year, and win a championship.”
Reese said he and the other coaches emphasize being great students and great young men. “They all want to play, and I wish they could, but for them to be successful they can’t be selfish. And that’s what I’ve always loved about baseball, and it does take the whole team to be successful.” The coaching staff put a lot of effort into ensuring the players were responsible and respectful, and their hard work and efforts paid off in the end.
Reese said the previous season was a “pretty rough stretch,” but what helped the team succeed this season was how great a team they were. Reese said they tried to mesh a group of sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders, and the players did a great job coming together and encouraging each other.
One of Reese’s most notable players of the season was none other than eighth-grade pitcher Elijah Weisenberg. After he returned from an injury at the beginning of the season, Weisenberg stepped up in the box during the game against Community Middle School and helped them win the conference championship game.
One of the biggest ways the community can help players achieve success on and off the field is to show their support. Reese said, “I think everybody knows that when it comes to Cascade sports, we’re always going to bring a good crowd, whether it’s middle school, high school, or Cascade parents and fans. They’re going to show up, they’re going to be loud, and they’re going to support, whether you’re having a good year or bad year.”
Reese said Cascade fans bring a lot of energy that the players feed off of, which fuels them to do better. Reese also expresses his appreciation for Cascade’s parents for getting them to practice, providing food, and supporting them along the way.
“I can’t say enough about our parents this year. Parents don’t realize this, but they make the coach’s job a lot easier…” GN
