Last year, the Antioch Community High School baseball team lost a 2-1 heartbreaker in the regional championship against the Deerfield Warriors. The bitter taste of losing a well-anticipated game stuck around and still lingers to this day. The Sequoit baseball team had the prerogative to work extra hard during the off-season to return stronger and win the 2025 regional championship. Senior Jackson Mozina shares how the loss affected him personally.
“Mentally, it wasn’t fun,” Mozina said. “Deerfield was definitely a winnable game, and we just didn’t hit and ended up losing my one run.”
This off-season, players were expected to attend morning workouts at 6 a.m. throughout February, even though mornings are not easy. The Sequoit baseball team did everything possible to be better and stronger than last season. While these morning workouts focused on conditioning and building strength, they were not solely about physical preparation. The team made sure to address mental toughness, with an emphasis on a stronger bond with each other. Junior Zach Rubin discusses how the morning workouts will change the team chemistry for the better and how it will pay off in the end.
“The main thing for me is the culture between the guys, and morning workouts allowed that opportunity, and building that up before the season is the most important thing, and it’ll pay off in the end,” Rubin said.
Head Coach Frank Fracek explained his buy-in cause when asked about the morning workouts’ challenges.
“The morning workouts were about getting guys to buy into our program and finding out who wants it, who wants to be there, who is willing to do what it needs, what they need to do to get ready for a season,” Fracek said.
Not only did the Sequoit baseball team make physical offseason changes, but Fracek also made major adjustments to the Antioch baseball field, such as a $35,000 field upgrade. The upgrade includes a new on-field batting cage, red granite dirt and a new pitching machine. Along with the upgrade, Fracek also added a Spring Break trip for the team, which cost around $17,000. This trip is designed not only to test their skills against teams outside their normal schedule but also to strengthen their camaraderie and build trust among each other.
Through these efforts, the Sequoit baseball team is more prepared than ever to take the field in this 2025 season. With a combination of physical improvements and mental preparation, the Sequoits are ready to prove that they have learned from last year’s loss and are ready to make a deeper run toward the regional championship and beyond.
