“Mudita” is a small, often unknown word, but it holds so much meaning. The CCCHS baseball team have taken Mudita and its definition on as a personal goal for their team. 

When senior Nolan Jernigan was asked about the atmosphere of the team, it was the first thing he said. “The team atmosphere revolves around the ‘Mudita’ which means having vicarious joy in the success of others. Although we don’t always live up to this standard as a team, it is what we strive for. We want to play selfless baseball.” 

Along with striving for selfless baseball, the boys want success and to have fun obtaining it. Senior Aiden Robertson says, “The atmosphere of our team is very energetic…we have a lot of fun with it and pick our guys up when they need it.”

Another senior, Carter McKenzie, continues this by saying, “We have a lot of big personalities on the team… We’re still working to find our identity as a whole. We’ve shown flashes of what we can do when we’re all on the same page and it’s very promising… We just need to remember that the team needs the best out of every guy on the roster every 7 innings.”

Last season, the boys were plagued with injury and discouragement.  Fortunately, this season definitely exceeds last year. 

Robertson says, “This season’s team is showing a lot more care and want than last year. I believe we lacked leadership last year because we had a couple of core guys go down but this year now that we have 9 seniors; the leadership builds chemistry and love for one another.”

Mckenzie was one the players who was injured last season and he recalls the season he sat on the bench: “I was out for the year with a torn ACL but still tried to be the best teammate I could be and contribute what I could for our program. This year being able to play alongside my teammates has made trying to lead a lot easier because I can help out both on the field and in the dugout now.” 

Jernigan thinks last season was a good learning experience and commented, “Last year we had to move a lot of guys around due to 3 players with varsity experience having season-ending injuries. That allowed younger guys to get experience to prepare them for this year. We also have the injured players returning this year.” 

Jernigan, Mckenzie, and Robertson are three of the nine seniors and have taken on roles as leaders on the team.  They’ve all been playing for a while and have their own reasons for playing the game. 

Jernigan has been playing for ten years and is still undecided if he will continue his career after high school. 

Mckenzie has been playing since he was five and has fallen in love with the fun of the game. He will be continuing his education at the University of Alabama but will be “hanging up the cleats…and focusing on life outside the lines.” 

Robertson will be continuing the career that started when he was 5.  He’ll be playing at Walter State Community College. He loves the game because he loves the work and puts effort into the high levels of competition. 

Baseball season is in full swing and the CCCHS Baseball team would love to see you showing support at a game. They will have home games April 24, 28, and May 1, along with several away games and the Crethen Hansert Classic tournament. Currently, they have won 10 games, lost five, and have a district record of seven to one.

The team is hoping to go to the state tournament and earn a title. Other goals include winning the regionals and making it to sectionals for the first time in years. They are humbly confident going into the rest of the season and working towards the goals of post-season success.