After being eliminated early out of the playoffs last season, the WHB Boys’ Varsity Baseball team is determined. They have already begun winter workouts, and they don’t plan on resting until after their goals for the season are met.

Returning seniors and determined juniors have already assembled pre-season workouts, with assistance from varsity coaches Tom Hoare and Keith MacDonald. Senior captains Sam Kaplan, Ben Osborne, Jake Viera, and Ryan Wagner have played leadership roles just as much as another coach, and are looking to cap off their high school baseball careers with a bang.

These workouts are Sunday mornings at East End Baseball Academy in Center Moriches until tryouts begin in March. The boys work on hitting mostly, with pitchers getting some work in too if they choose to throw a bullpen. It’s a great way to prep for a big season, a season in the making since the final game last year for the ‘Canes.

This group of ballplayers is a part of the new winning culture in WHB that started with a team led by Dan McEvoy, Ernie Geraci, Jake Bramwell, and Zach Downs in 2015. They passed down that pride in winning to guys like Ben Osborne and Jake Viera, who were pulled up as sophomores that year and are now in those guys’ shoes.

There’s a lot of optimism on this team, and it’s carried by Coach Tom Hoare, former University of Virginia-alum who played D1 baseball there and is now in his fourth year at the helm of this squad.

Sophomore transfer Jason Floegel, who is the youngest on the team, expressed his feelings and his expectations on the upcoming season. He said, “I’m expecting a really nice playoff run, and I’d like to accomplish a good showing of my skills in my first year at WHB as a varsity baseball player.”

Four-year varsity player Ben Osborne is entering his final year as a Hurricane, and he’s also got high hopes for the season. “I feel that this will be a stronger connected team than last year, since we have all been playing together for years so we’ll feel comfortable together.”

A new year for WHB Baseball is coming, and the boys that want to make a difference are showing it by coming down and training in hopes for another big playoff run.