After not having the season that the North Atlanta varsity baseball team had hoped for in 2018, it is now time for the Warriors shot at redemption. With the 2019 season well underway, the Warriors currently sit at a win-loss record of 3-3. There have been a handful of quality individual performances, however, as a team, the Warriors just have not been able to find their groove.

North Atlanta kicked off their season with a 17 to 6 win on the road against Dutchtown, which included a 4-for-5 day at the plate for senior Marc Church and 3-hit games for senior Brett Roberts and junior Willem Carter. The Warriors followed this performance with a tough loss at Westminster and would have four of their next six games cancelled due to poor weather conditions. In the two games played during this stretch of poor weather, the Warriors secured another win against Dutchtown, where Roberts and junior Jamie Hare hit home runs, and lost to Maynard Jackson High School. After a short break, the somewhat rusty Warriors lost 5 to 4 on a walkoff hit in a tight overtime game at Riverwood. However, the pitching staff of seniors Narada Monge and Church stood out, allowing just one earned run, and Roberts homered late to tie the game. However, the Warriors bounced back the following day, defeating Drew High School on the road behind Roberts strong hitting performance, as he tallied a double, triple, and homerun. So far, the Warriors have played well, but junior second basemen Parker French knows that the team needs to pick up their play a little bit heading into the team’s games against their tough region. “We do a really good job at making comebacks, but we need to learn to get out to a lead early and closing out games late if we want to contend for the playoffs,” French said.

Thus far, the Warriors have relied heavily on the superb play of seniors Brett Roberts and Marc Church. Roberts, the team’s starting shortstop and Tennessee Tech baseball commit, has shown his ability to be a five tool player this season and been a problem for opposing teams. Thus far, he has tallied a .363 batting average with four home runs, 12 runs batted in, 10 runs scored, and three stolen bases to go along with his strong arm, quick hands, and creativity in the field. Church, the team’s starting second baseman and closing pitcher, has been lights out. As a position player, Church has been an offensive juggernaut, as he has hit for a solid .583 batting average and scored 6 runs. On the mound, he has been lights out, allowing 0 runs over 5.1 innings and striking out 13 batters. These performances have been eye popping for many, including senior pitcher Nicholas Tranakos. “Those two have been playing out of their mind for us and they are definitely going to be an important part of our team going into region play,” Tranakos said.

Overall, it has been a decent start to the season for the Warriors, and playoffs definitely look like a possibility for the Warriors this season. The team has shown flashes of greatness in their first six games, and it will be very interesting to see if this team will be able to if and how the Dubs will be able to put the necessary pieces together in order to succeed going into region play.