Joshua Iversen is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Westwood High School for AZPreps365.com

MESA, Ariz. – Fielding drills are over. While players set up the screens, nets and mound, head coach JR Langston wheels out a black speaker. He parks it behind home plate and turns on some music for his players to listen to during batting practice. Some of them even sing or dance between rounds.

It’s no secret that the Westwood varsity baseball team is laid back. They joke around, they have fun. They enjoy playing baseball and they aren’t afraid to show it.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t focused.

“We’re looking for the championship,” senior second baseman Macs Carrillo said.

The team came close in 2019. They went 17-7 on the season and 5-5 within the East Valley region. This earned them the seventh seed in the 6A playoffs, but they fell short against the Liberty Lions in the first round, 8-6.

The Warriors think 2020 will be different. This year, they have experience on their side. Of the 18 players on the roster, 10 are seniors. Four of those seniors, including Carrillo and shortstop Crew Parke, have played on varsity since they were freshmen.

“A lot of the other teams are old too, but they don’t have the experience of players starting as freshmen,” Parke said. “So we’ve seen the pitching, we’ve seen the atmosphere of playing during the playoffs. I think we have an advantage, I’d like to say.”

Langston agrees that his team’s experience and age could give them an edge. He thinks that maturity will be key to their success.

“It’s just whether they are able to be mature enough to stick to the things that they need to do in practice and really just work the way they need to work,” Langston said. “There’s not, like, one person that’s risen to be like a leader, but we do have guys that are leading. So as long as they keep us going in the right direction, I think there’s definitely potential to be a strong team.”

That isn’t to say last year’s roster was young; that team saw seven seniors graduate. One in particular stands out above the rest: outfielder Manny Collier, who was drafted in the 23rd round (702nd overall) by the Chicago Cubs, making him the second Arizona high schooler selected in the 2019 draft.

Collier was a key player for the Warriors in every aspect of the game. Parke described him as a “spark” at the top of the lineup and a “ridiculous” defender in center field. But his absence will also be felt in the dugout.

“He was a great guy, he was good,” Carrillo said. “He was a great example on and off the field. A great player, a great person. It’s hard. You got to learn from him.”

Even without Collier, Westwood’s lineup will be scary. The team plans to start a senior at every position on the diamond, with the exception of junior Hector Lugo at third base.

The pitching staff is less certain, with no defined roles as of yet. But Langston isn’t worried. He knows it’s early, and that the situation will shake itself out with time.

“We have a lot of options,” he said. “Right now, it’s hard to say one, two, three. But we want them to all have a mindset that they’re the No. 1. We do have some good depth in pitching.”

Westwood kicked off its season as hosts of the Adam Donnenfield Memorial Tournament, beginning Wednesday with a 10-7 win over the Arcadia Titans. As the tournament continues through Saturday, Langston said he’ll have his eye on some of his newer pitchers and how they fare against high school competition, as well as how some of his hitters perform in their new roles.

Though it’s early, it’s clear that the Warriors have great chemistry. Carrillo said they are already “like brothers” and Parke agreed.

“It’s sick,” he said. “I think last year we had some problems, people thinking they should be in different places, people thinking they’re better, talking behind the coaches. Just stupid stuff that shouldn’t be around. But this year, I think it’s a pretty sick vibe. Everyone’s kind of chilled out and everyone knows their responsibilities and what their part on the team is.”

“They like each other,” Langston said. “Sometimes it’s like brothers, they get on each other’s nerves sometimes. But they do, as a group, because they’ve been together so long, they do genuinely like each other.”

For Parke, that closeness has translated into confidence. Like Carrillo, he has his eyes set on making it to the championship game at Tempe Diablo Stadium – and winning.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “I mean, we’re good. We’re really good. And as long as we put it all together and just relax and compete. We’re not scared of anyone, so we just gotta put it all together. That’s about it.”