How baseball swung into the nation’s heart

Lucy Milner

The classic sport has changed over the years, and the River is no exception.

People played it when they were kids, they watched it as adults and they passed down the love of the game through generations: baseball is an American tradition.

The first professional baseball games were played in the wake of a young nation's darkest days. Baseball is thought to have originated as a game called “rounders” in England and gained popularity in the United States in the early 1900s. It has gone by many names in the past, including “town ball”, “goalball”, round ball” and simply “base”. According to Athnet, the first recorded rules were written by Shane Ryley Foster for a team based in Manhattan called the Knickerbockers.

Throughout history, baseball has not only entertained but also offered a sense of comfort during difficult times. According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, President George W. Bush showed the nation's strength as he threw the first pitch of World Series Game 3 in New York City, just seven weeks after the tragedies of 9/11, and the 2013 Red Sox proved “Boston Strong” with a World Series win in the shadow of the Boston Marathon bombings.

“Baseball, like a lot of sports, has evolved over the years,” the River’s head varsity baseball coach Zackery Solly said. “Players now are playing more year-round than when I first started playing. Players also do more traveling and playing in tournaments around the country. When I was younger, even into high school, we used to play in tournaments, but they were mostly local ones or just a couple hours away.”

The River has a rich history of baseball. Last year, the program reached several new milestones, including the first time in program history to win three straight District Championships and advancing to the Regional Semifinals in the playoffs for the first time.

“One of my biggest accomplishments was hitting some of my first home runs,” sophomore varsity player Logan Waldschmidt said.

According to Solly, former players - some who are currently playing in college or professional baseball - stopped by two years ago to visit the team and speak with them. Previous coaches at the River have built a very storied and respected program, and they hope to continue building off the established tradition.

“My favorite thing about baseball is that even if you do not play at the next level, you will still have learned many life skills and made lots of friends in the process,” junior varsity player freshman Nathan Hauck said.