Matt Corsitto: Today I am joined by two captains of the Vikings baseball team, seniors Jack Stolper and Ryan Meth.  The baseball team is off to a strong start this season, and the captains are here to tell us just what we can come to expect from the team moving further.  Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, boys.

Jack Stolper: We appreciate the opportunity.

Ryan Meth: Yeah, thank you Matt.  I appreciate the investigative journalism!

MC: This year the team has turned a lot of heads during this beginning stretch.  Did you expect the team to perform this well to start of the season, and just how well has the team performed relative to last year?

RM: Well last year, we heated up in the second half of the season, but this season we started pretty hot.  Obviously we’ve been working hard in practice everyday and that hard work is translating into wins, so we are hoping to stay hot for the next couple of series.

JS: This year I think we have more developed talent.  We have been performing pretty well and we hope to roll that over to our upcoming games against two strong teams, Massapequa and Oceanside.

MC: What are some things you’ve been focused on fixing to help the team win?

RM: Just trying to work on my timing when I’m hitting.  I’m trying to relax and not do too much when in the box, sort of let it all come naturally.

JS: I’ve been working on taking things one pitch at a time, keeping my confidence up in the box and attacking my pitches.

MC: As baseball players, I’m sure you’re also baseball fans. Who are some of your biggest inspirations?

JS: Tom Zebrowski has been a significant influence on my baseball career and I look to develop into the type of player he was.

RM: For me it’s Derek Jeter.  He’s one of the greats—a true class act.

MC: Many people affectionately refer to baseball as America’s pastime. Why do you think that is, and do you agree?  Or in other words, what makes baseball America’s sport?

RM: I’ve never really thought about it before, but there are so many traditions embedded inside playing baseball or even just going to a game that Americans have just adopted it as its own hobby or pastime.

JS: Yeah, baseball has been around for a long time so I think it’s developed into part of our country’s culture.

MC: I’d like to hear your opinions on one of Major League Baseball’s more controversial topics, the DH rule.  For those who don’t know, the National League require pitchers to bat as part of the lineup while the American League uses designated hitters (DH) instead.  What are your opinions of the DH rule?  Or you for or against?

RM: For and against it.  As much as I love to see home runs, I think it’s cooler when a pitcher can get a hit or maybe even a home run.

JS: I love the DH rule because in my opinion hitting is the best and most fun part of the game.  Put your best batting lineup out there, because most of the time pitchers can’t hit, and force the defense to make plays.

MC: To wrap things up, what are your aspirations and expectations for the remainder of the season, and how does the team plan to accomplish these goals moving forward?

JS: We want to steal a few games from Oceanside and Massapequa and hopefully get a high seed in the playoffs and a home playoff game.  We would then look to advance in the playoffs.  I think if we keep working hard and the bats keep rolling it shouldn’t be a problem for us.

RM: Yeah, we want to finish strong and secure a solid playoff spot.  We just need to stay confident in ourselves and believe that we can win, and the rest will come naturally.

MC: Thanks again for talking with me guys, and I wish you good luck.

JS: No problem. We’ll make sure to keep the wins coming.