Four sophomores have been added to the New Trier varsity baseball team, an increase from a 2014 team that listed just one underclassman. This is foreign territory for a program accustomed to veteran impact.

Clayton Czyzynski, Kevin Donahue, Matt Kann, and Max Rosenthal, who will all graduate in 2017, figure to play key roles on an upstart Trevian squad. While this could potentially cause conflict with the typical team chemistry, players seem to be handling the change well.

“It’s actually really cool having them on the team,” said junior pitcher Will Jamieson. “They’re really polite and really talented.”

The feelings are mutual on the behalf of the four sophomores. According to Czyzysnki, an infielder, there haven’t been any issues. This can be attributed to the players getting acquainted with each other during the summer baseball season.

“So far it’s been great because I played with some of these guys in the summer and they have been really supportive to all of the sophomores,” said sophomore infielder Clayton Czyzynski. “But I’m still getting used to it. Being a sophomore on the team is fun because you get to meet more of the upperclassmen”

While the sophomores seem set to make an impact this spring, according to some of the juniors and seniors who didn’t make the varsity team, there is some frustration about the fact that sophomores made the team.

“All the players who got cut were good players,” said senior pitcher Billy Cremin. “New Trier baseball is such a hard team to make and sometimes, like this tryout, good players will get cut.”

This frustration can be warranted because of how long some players, upperclassmen especially, have been waiting to play for the varsity team.

Regardless, varsity players think that, in the long term, these sophomores will be beneficial to the team and prove that they can be leaders over the next two years.

“They are playing very well and contributing a lot to the team,” said Cremin. “The sophomores are going to be a huge part of the team in the future. Maybe even this season.”

While seniors may not get the opportunity to play next year, it’s likely that baseball wasn’t their main focus. Not to mention that juniors can always try again next year and are still able to play in junior varsity games.

“A lot of people question these sophomores’ ability to jump from freshman [competition] to varsity,” explained junior outfielder Michael Hurley.

“However these sophomores all earned their spots.”

Hurley’s stance backs up the reasonable belief that these players could’ve made junior varsity as freshmen had there been a dedicated team for it (New Trier only fields a freshman, sophomore, and varsity team).

“I don’t think any players who were cut have hard feelings towards players like sophomores,” said junior Will D’Angelo. “It is up to the coaches to pick the most competitive team with the most chemistry, and if that means taking a more athletic underclassman over a seasoned and experienced upperclassman, that is what has to be done.”

The most important thing in a team setting like baseball is that the team can hand-pick the most talented players who try out, and if sophomores are the most talented, then they should be picked.

“The sophomores are all crucial contributors to both the in-game success of the varsity team, as well as the life and the environment that comes with every major New Trier sport,” said D’Angelo. “Age does not matter as these athletes are the future, in addition to the present.”

Although D’Angelo didn’t make varsity, his opinion is echoed by the team.

“These sophomores are young and their youth and sheer talent is important for this team,” said Jamieson. “These players will be some of the most helpful in the upcoming years and that forward thinking is exactly what we need.”