As the baseball team hits a slump, they look to dig themselves out with a win against the Warren Central Warriors tonight.

“We started off the year really hot, going 7-2 in our first nine games. After that, we hit a bit of a slump, losing four in a row. In that stretch, we had seven straight games played with no practices, so we were definitely just worn out. Luckily, we managed to take one game away from Perry Meridian before playing Lutheran in a double header,” senior Eli Mason, shortstop, said.

Team chemistry has held the team together.

“We are a lot closer as a team than we were last year. All of us guys are best friends, and there isn’t really anyone who tries to act bigger than everyone else, unlike last year. We all believe that has helped us go miles compared to last year. Being able to know each other so well helps us understand each other when playing. We can predict one another and bring each other up easier. Also, we feel better and more confident in ourselves when we know our teammates are confident in us, which really boosts our playing level and allows us to play at a higher level than anyone expected,” senior Carter Williams, first baseman, said.

Coach Andy Bass agreed.

“I think one of the biggest things this year, that has helped us with more success has been how close the team has been. If someone has a birthday, they will all go out to eat, or if we have an off night, they will have a team dinner. It really pays off on the field when you have a team that close knit, and I really do believe that has helped us a lot this year,” Coach Bass said.

The Woodmen look to lean on their explosive offense to take the game away from the Warriors.

“We have been really solid all around for the most part. We did have a couple of games where we suffered from errors, but we were sure to practice our fielding to fix up the mistakes. Our bats, on the other hand, have been constantly hot. We had one game where we did not do the best at the plate, and that was against Center Grove. Other than that, we see some high success rates at the plate. Our team batting average is about 0.303, so well above average. On top of that, we have a team on base percentage of about 0.426, which is also well above average,” senior Sean Newett, catcher, said.

Despite a struggling defense, it should not be overlooked.

“We are definitely stronger offensively, and we have been weak at times defensively, but that does not mean it should be looked over. We might have had a couple of bad games in the field, but small mistakes like those are bound to happen. It is not about that error, is it about how you respond to the error, and we have done a pretty good job at having goldfish memories. All that means is we forget about that play and move onto the next pitch, and when the time comes to make another play, we make the play without error. The error does not make or break the game; it is how we respond. We will be sure to steer away from making any, but if we do, we will move past them and not let it lose us the game,” Mason said.

The Woodmen have nothing to worry about in the Warriors.

“Warren Central is not a bad team, but they are definitely not the best. We have seen much better teams and have beat those teams. They see lots of errors and mistakes when they play, so we are looking to take advantage of that so we need to be sure to capitalize on any they make throughout the game. However, they could very well have a good, clean game against us, so we also need to make sure we are putting the ball in play so we can score, and we need to have cleaner defense,” Williams said.

Coach Bass is reluctant to count out Warren Central.

“We have one common opponent with Warren Central, and that is Perry. We split our games with them, and Warren lost both. They also have a rough record; however, that does not mean anything. We do not really know a whole lot about them so we definitely can not overlook them. It will still be a tough game, and baseball can take an unexpected turn at any time,” Coach Bass said.

The Woodmen take on Warren Central tonight at 6 p.m. on the Warrior Field.