![“[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)
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![“[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)
Varsity baseball shuts out San Jose 26-0 in season opener
Austin Wang (9) swings at a pitch. The boys next play at Prospect High School next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
February 24, 2019
The varsity baseball team crushed San Jose High last Wednesday 26-0 in their season opener at the Blackford baseball field.
The team jumped right in, opening the floodgates with five runs right off the bat in the first inning and striking out the other team’s batters as fast as they were coming up. They ended the first inning with
“They did well,” head coach Mike Delfino said. “It’s one of those games where it’s tough to stay focused after a while, even when you have a big lead it can be tough to stay focused, but we did a good job. They made their plays and hit the ball well, and we hope to build off of it.”
The team swept the rest of the innings, and the whole batting lineup got at least one exceptional hit in throughout the course of the game.
Starting pitcher Andrew Chavez (10) was especially keen this game, striking batters out left and right. Sophomore Ian Williamson and freshman Mark Hu also got a chance to pitch throughout the game. The pitchers collectively only gave up one hit and two walks.
The underclassmen especially got a chance to shine this game. Brothers Bobby and Austin Wang (9) made a dynamic duo throughout the game, stealing bases seemingly at will with a noteworthy speed. Of note was also sophomore Ellis Goldman, the only girl on the team this year.
“I think the biggest highlight was a lot of freshmen, they got in and got their first game under their belt, kind of get some of the nervousness out of the way and get their first bats and have a little fun in the process,” Delfino said. “They’re gonna have to grow up in a hurry and get a lot of experience early on.”
The game ended at the top of the fifth inning with Harker celebrating an overwhelming 26-0 win.
“I think I could have actually done better, but obviously the team did really well, so I’m happy with that,” Max Lee, the only junior on the team, said.
The team is especially talented this year, and they are confident of a chance of making it to the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament.
“This year we actually have a solid chance at winning our league, and the baseball team at Harker has not won the league in 10 years, so this could be a history-making season, so I’m really excited,” Max said.
