Hitting It Out of the Park

By: Allison Watling

‘20-’21 Varsity Baseball

(6/1 Updated) Overall: 10-1, (1st in District, 6-0 Home Record, 4-1 Road Record)

“I am the master of my fate/ I am the captain of my soul.” Poetry and Baseball? No one would expect big, strong, baseball players to be reciting poetry, yet here we are! These words from “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley have had a great impact on Herndon’s baseball team this year. When they’re in control, they can respond to any situation that they encounter. And they will take these words with them beyond the field and into regular life. It’s a very special experience for a team to come together around something that usually wouldn’t be associated with sports.

Head Varsity Baseball Coach, Stephen Frank, had shared the poem to the players just around when everything got weird at the beginning of last season. This is Coach Frank’s first normal season at Herndon High School; last year the team never got to play any games. This season was shortened due to the pandemic, squeezing a multitude of games and events into a small span of time. The shortened schedule posed a significant challenge for the new team, whose players were forced to work together quickly. But none of that was able to stand in the way of our baseball team coming together and connecting as a team! Teamwork is one of the most important things when it comes to baseball, or any sport for that matter.

Coach Frank initially began his coaching career by helping out his former high school baseball coach, whom he looked to as a mentor, since Coach Frank played on his team be- fore. Then, he spent some time coaching baseball at Marymount University for two years, and then at George Washington University for one year. He found himself wanting to get back to the high school level because he really enjoys working with kids in that age group.

Coach Frank loves working with the team during the season. He said that being out on the field with the team, “keeps me energized and feeling younger.” Coach Frank also tries to make connections throughout the community, including the youth baseball programs. “I want them to have a great experience,” Coach Frank said about the team this year. He wants them to learn from their teammates as well as the coaches. With the poetic words of Coach Frank ringing through the players’ ears as they go out onto the field to play, they join together as a team. They’re already in control of their season, sitting at 10-1 with one more game left to play, ranked #1 going into districts. This team and their brotherhood is searching for more, and they have enough left in the tank to deliver-- masters of their fate.