![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
The Varsity baseball team is looking to improve its 9-17 record from last year and finish this season with more wins than losses.
The team members and coaches have big expectations for the upcoming season. Catcher Arthur Goldstein (9) is hoping for a winning record, with most of the wins coming from home games.
Coach CJ Cali said that he plans to encourage the team to “come out and compete hard in every game.”
“I’m not too concerned about winning and losing. If we play hard and practice hard as a team, the winning and losing will take care of itself,” he said.
The team is led by its three seniors, Drew Goldstein, Jacob Hoffman, and Kevin Cali. Due to the shortage of upperclassmen, the younger players do not have as many opportunities to receive necessary guidance that elder players on the team could give to them.
“We do not have a bunch of seniors or juniors. When […] you’re putting a young team out there, you know that there are a bunch of mistakes that juniors or seniors wouldn’t make,” Coach Cali said.
The team not only lacks seniors but also needs more players on the team in general. With only three more players than the number required to field a team, members have to compete in positions they do not normally play.
“Our biggest problem is the number of players that we have,” Dalton Forbes (9) said.
Despite the challenges, the team has very high goals for the season. Forbes said that he would like the team to “have no errors on the season”. Arthur also added that he wishes to have a batting average over 250.
The team’s first game of the season will take place at Blackford on Thursday, February 28 against Summit Preparatory High School.
