Monarchs continue to stick to the plan after season falls short

The baseball team finds meaning in “meaningless games” to finish the season off strong and look forward to the next.

Joseph Gonzalez, Staff Writer

The Valley College baseball team’s six-year playoff drought continues, but the Monarchs gave it their full effort throughout the year to finish strong.

The Monarchs finished off the year with two home games against conference rivals, Pierce and Mission Colleges, beating Pierce 3-2 and losing to Mission 9-5. Then they headed out to West Los Angeles for their final game of the season and got the win 9-5. Although these games were technically meaningless to Valley, they still put in the hard work and ground out two wins to finish on a positive note.

“For this last week of season, I look forward to grinding hard with my teammates one last time on Monday,” said sophomore pitcher, Giovanni Chaidez. “I look forward to playing hard these last three games, hopefully ending the season with three wins.”

It was a long year for the team, which started off as they started off undefeated, went on a 10-game losing streak and had an away game against Irvine Valley postponed due to severe rainstorms. They continued to push through the season and hope to do so in these final three games.

“My 2019 season has taught me to always be grateful everyday,” said freshman outfielder Jerry Aguilar. “Play smart and work hard everyday. Also to maintain positive attitude and try to always succeed.”

Despite the lows throughout the season, the members of the team are still in high spirits as they reach the end of the season. Playing at Valley under head coach Dave Mallas is a special thing for a player as Mallas makes it a family environment. The family atmosphere trickles down from coach to player. It makes going to the field every day fun and a great experience.

“Definitely looking forward for this last week to enjoy the last games and moments with the boys,” said Aguilar. “I’m going to miss my teammates, great times spent on the field.”

The Monarchs are going to be carrying some momentum into the next season. They improved from last year by having five more wins in conference than in the previous season. Each season has been slowly improving and 2020 looks to be bright.

“Every year has been getting better,” said assistant coach Ari Adut. “Next year we will be better again!”