Spring break. A common time for the average student to catch up on some much-needed rest, travel, or even start a new TV series. Not these Gilbert Tigers. While most were lying around, the Gilbert Tiger Baseball team was putting in the work as they prepared for a major upcoming tournament.

As they were already riding the highs of their winning record (3-1), this year’s Tigers had to prioritize their work and not be blinded by past successes.

The Bob Everett Classic baseball tournament has been around for nearly a decade, and the Gilbert Tigers have been competing in this tournament ever since- but what’s so different about this year?

People are expecting them to win.

“Going into the tournament, we had the goal of stacking wins, growing as a team, and getting better as individuals so that we could be the champions of our own tournament,” Guerrero⁽¹²⁾ said.

It seemed that these new expectations were met to the highest degree, as there was not one loss on the Gilbert record for the entirety of the tournament. These Tigers finished with a strong 4-0 game record, which only meant one thing…the trophy was theirs.

It seems that the tides are changing for these Tigers, considering their previous losing record of 8-10 for the 2022-23 season. With the newfound confidence gained by winning the tournament, a new mindset, new techniques, and more practice time, these Tigers are set for success.

They need to maintain their winning record, and this tournament could set them in a comfortable spot on the 6A Central rankings. Can the Tigers build off of this positive winning experience?

The structure lies in the teammates. Utilizing their seniors, the Gilbert Tiger coaches made sure that they could always count on their seniors as a massive contribution to enforcing this set-in-stone structure. “As a senior, my coaches expect me to keep people in check, be a role model that teammates can follow, and for me to contribute to the team in some way so that everyone can know that we are all in this together,” Guerrero⁽¹²⁾ also stated. Understanding the new standards is nothing new for this senior leader, and with his understanding, he can help newcomers to this high-intensity environment. “The expectations for the season are for our team to keep buying into what our coaches want; and for our team to stick together no matter what happens during the course of the season. Everyone needs to be able to play their hardest and keep focus during every pitch for each game because everyone matters,” Guerrero⁽¹²⁾ said.

Since the tournament, the Tigers have not been able to continue their winning streak, with a current standing of sixth place in the 6A Central standings at a losing 5-8 record. But as proved before, no current record can stop a future record. And as the season comes to a close, these Tigers have 5 shots left to re-elevate themselves as a top-tier team. Time can only tell where this team can take themselves…

Walking towards the opposing coach to close the game, Head Coach Gutierrez secures the final victory. “Winning isn’t about the reward or outcome-based. Hopefully, you just have faith in yourself and your abilities to get it done,” Gutierrez said.