The De Soto High School baseball team is off to a succesfull start this year, looking to repeat on last year’s success.

Head coach Joel Thaemert believes that the team has been successful but has room to improve during the regular season.

“We’re inconsistent. We haven’t been near as efficient as we need to be. We’ve got a lot of things we can better at honestly,” Thaemert said.

The team has defeated an array of opponents this year, including previous “favorite” for the State championship Paola High School.

Thaemert believes this is largely based off of the strong campaigns of certain members of the team.

“Jack Mayes on the mound has really stepped up. He’s become our ace. Nick Schmidt has as well, he’s been great in relief and his one start has been stellar,” Thaemert said. “Dylan [Holden] has been really good at the plate. Greyson [Jenista] has been getting on base. Trent [Brents] and Max Taulbee too.”

In a previous interview, Thaemert said that his expectations for the Wildcats were to get back to the State tournament, and hopefully win it this year.

These expectations are becoming a reality, as the team is winning games at a very positive rate.

The Wildcats are now entering the final stretch of the season, as competition truly begins to heat up as the Regional and State tournaments approach.

It is becoming increasingly hard for the team to gain momentum due to the string of bad weather that results in game cancellations and indoor practices.

As the season progresses, the team will have to deal with the hand they have been dealt and adapt into the championship contending team they hope to become.

The next game for the Wildcats was planned to be played on May 2, but due to scheduling errors the team will not play its game against Olathe North High School on time. A make-up date has not been announced.