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HOST: This … is THE SWEET SPOT, a show about the week’s biggest sports stories in Arizona. I’m your host Spencer Cihak. With baseball in full swing Valley-wide we have a grand slam of a show for you today.

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HOST INTRO: Arizona high school baseball has been gaining recognition in recent years, in part to their play in national tournaments. This year, another Valley school received an invite to the prominent National High School Invitational. Cronkite Sports Jeff Hinkle has more.

Basha baseball ‘so excited’ to be latest Arizona school to go to National High School Invitational

HINKLE: Since 2012, the premier high school baseball tournament in the country has been USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational, or NHSI. Some of the game’s best young stars, like Cody Bellinger, Max Fried and Lucas Giolito, have played in the tournament.

The state of Arizona has been well represented in the past. Hamilton High School has been to the tournament three times, along with Mountain Pointe, Horizon, Sandra Day O’Connor, Mountain Ridge and Corona del Sol all making at least one appearance. This year brings a new face to NHSI, held in Cary, North Carolina: Basha High School. It’s something that senior infielder Brady Lord says has been a long time coming.

[Duration 0:16]

<<Brady Lord: I think that it’s a testament to what we’ve been doing and the culture that we’ve kind of been building the past four years here. It’s also huge props to our coaching staff and (Coach) Schilling who’s been here for so long to finally reach that step and represent Arizona.>>

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HINKLE: One team that has represented Arizona more than any other high school program in the state is Hamilton High School. Coach Jim Schilling says that he learned a thing or two from their head coach.

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<<Jim Schilling: He was actually my first call when I decided to try to get into the tournament. I asked him if we were good enough, and he said absolutely. He thinks we can go there and compete, so that’s what kind of started the ball rolling on the whole deal was coach Woods at Hamilton.>>

HINKLE: After the ball got rolling, it didn’t reach its destination for a while. Coach Schilling said it took two months to hear back whether the team got into the tournament or not.

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<<Schilling: Well, I was driving in my truck when I answered the call. I thought it was going to be a rejection call, and he said you’re in and I just fist-pumped it. I was so excited.>>

HINKLE: Then after all the excitement from making it into the tournament slightly faded, they had to figure out how to get the entire team out to North Carolina for the tournament. Airfare isn’t cheap, and hotels aren’t either. One word that describes planning this entire thing…

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<<Schilling: It’s brutal. It’s brutal. I’m so blessed with the best parents. We have some dads that really took on different parts of this. We have a dad whose wife works for American Airlines so she helped with that side of it, a couple booster dads have really been in contact with the school, raising funds, making sure things are done the right way.>>

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HINKLE: The program turned in their last check just last week, and now they are all set to go. But what are they doing on the plane ride out there? Senior catcher Jordan Vigil seems to have it all figured out.

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<<Vigil: Taking a little nap, watching a couple movies, just relaxing… enjoying the plane ride.>>

HINKLE: It seems like an entirely different plan for coach Schilling

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<<Schilling: I’ll be with my wife and kids, so I’m sure I’ll be passing snacks and doing that whole dad thing, but I might get into a book.>>

HINKLE: And as for competitive play… Basha’s already played their first opponent, Huntington Beach, last December at ASU, so they are quite familiar with them… The tournament takes place March 29th to April 1st on usabaseball.com.

From Cronkite Sports, I’m Jeff Hinkle.

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Red Bull gives you innings: Giants pitchers talk about their pregame rituals

HOST INTRO: From high school to the pros, Kaitlyn Parohinog (KATE-lin per-oh-HEE-nog) was back out covering Cactus League spring training and spoke with the San Francisco Giants pitching staff about their pregame rituals …

<nat sound – locker room sounds>

PAROHINOG: Pitchers are some of the most superstitious athletes. Some need to be given the “silent treatment” in order to mentally prepare for a game, while others chug Red Bull to get energy to pitch that day… It varies between each player, but one common trend is a need for a routine to get their bodies prepared for a workout later in the game.

<<Wood 1.wav “I usually eat the same breakfast, I’ll eat lunch at the same time, I always make a mid-afternoon shake for a night game.>>

PAROHINOG: This is starter Alex Wood. He keeps his schedule to-the-minute. Wood even keeps a note on his phone of every time that he should be preparing.

<<Wood 2.wav “I always warm up at the exact same time down to the minute, I usually start throwing at the exact same time down to the minute, all the way up until game time, I pretty much have it written down in my phone.”>>

PAROHINOG: Other pitchers, like Sean Manaea and Sean Hjelle, don’t have habits they practice strictly. Instead, they get ready like it’s any other game.

<<Manaea 1.wav “I’ve got like a, a frame, but you know, it kinda changes year to year and as the body changes.”>>

<<Hjelle 1.wav “I feel like I’m one of the least superstitious baseball players around, I don’t have a ‘I’ve gotta eat a certain candy or put my socks or shoes on a certain way,’ whatever those weird, unique things that each guy has.”>>

PAROHINOG: However, one of the most popular traditions in the Giants clubhouse is to drink a Red Bull before a game. Logan Webb’s ritual of chugging three cans before a start made its way through the news during the 2021 postseason, but he’s trying to change his habit.

<<Webb 1.wav “I’m trying not to do as many but it’s close to three.”>>

PAROHINOG: Despite the three Red Bulls, Webb only eats a banana and a Smuckers Uncrustable sandwich before pitching.

<<Webb 2.wav “I get nervous before games and I can’t really eat that day, so it’s just the easiest one to put down.”>>

<<Hjelle 2.wav “I usually see a Red Bull in his hands walking around on game day starts for him, I mean that’s his thing, that gets him going, helps him get pumped up and locked in, and you can see the results on the field, it’s obviously it’s been paying off.”>>

PAROHINOG: That’s Webb’s teammate again, Sean Hjelle… Fellow pitcher Sean Manaea talks about his own habits.

<<Manaea 2.wav “I know he slams a Red Bull, which I also do.”>>

PAROHINOG: Manaea isn’t the only pitcher alongside Webb that drinks a Red Bull before a game.

<<Long 1.wav “I’d say we all have a little bit of a Red Bull addiction… You know, how crazy the 162-game season is.”>>

PAROHINOG: Sam Long, another Giants pitcher, says the energy drink helps him focus and stay energized throughout the game.

<<Long 2.wav “I have a Red Bull depending on where I’m at that day, if I’m hot in the bullpen then I’ll probably have one usually in the first inning so I’m ready to go and kinda keeping me focused the rest of the game.”>>

PAROHINOG: Even though every athlete has their own habits, it seems as though superstitions run the field.

Kaitlyn Parohinog, Cronkite News…

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 HOST: That’s all for this week. The Sweet Spot was hosted and produced by me, Spencer Cihak. Special thanks to Jeff Hinkle and Kaitlyn Parohinog…

Thank you to all the sweethearts out there listening. If you liked this episode rate and review us on any podcast app of your choice.

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