By: Axel Davis 

MIT Academy’s two-year-old baseball team sent a strong message to its conference foes Wednesday, beating KIPP King High School in San Leandro, 8-4.

Powered by big hits from new and returning players, as well as the strong pitching of starter Noel Garcia, MIT beat the larger and more established KIPP King, traditionally one of the league’s best teams.

The MIT team plays in the Bay Area Charter School Athletic League, or BACSAC, a league comprised of teams from all over the eastern Bay Area.

Under the guidance of Coach Gabe Neustadt, last year’s conference coach of the year, MIT’s squad is flexing their muscles in pre-season games. An infusion of new but seasoned players has also powered the team’s hitting and confidence. Among the new players are freshman Noel Taylor and sophomore Dedrick Vanloo, who bring experience from Little League that will help the team in the conference.

Returning players include seniors Sebastian Romo and Salmaan Abdi, who were offensive leaders last season, and Bernardo Vasquez, who became the team’s main pitcher last year after the starting pitcher got injured.

In its inaugural season, MIT got off to a strong start, winning their first game 15-3. However, in their second game, the team’s star pitcher collided with the catcher going after a ball, and the team lost all its remaining games.

“Baseball is incredibly difficult in all aspects,” said Neustadt, who was a pitcher in college. “All of our losses were due to inexperience in the countless situations that come up in baseball. Losing our most accurate pitcher certainly didn’t help.”

With the early victory boosting their confidence, the players naturally hope to win the conference championship, with many senior players planning to play baseball at the college level.

“We have more experienced players [and] better hitters,” says Romo, which he thinks will set MIT Academy apart from other teams in the conference.

“We’re gonna win, no doubt,” said returning senior Vasquez.

While the win over KIPP King was a big confidence boost, it was technically a pre-season game. MIT Academy’s first conference game will be against LPS Hayward on Mar. 5 in San Leandro.

It is rare for new teams to compete for a conference championship, but the experience of newcomers like Vanloo will help. Vanloo made it to the District All-Stars Tournament when he played in Little League, but dropped the sport once COVID-19 hit. “I lost my spark,” Vanloo says. “Neustadt helped me get it back.”

All the players credit Coach Neustadt for their progress. The team began as a school interest club three years ago under Neustadt. Last year was their first time playing in the conference, where Neustadt’s fellow coaches awarded him the Baseball Coach of the Year award.

“I wasn’t anticipating winning that award,” Neustadt said, “but the other coaches all voted for me, so that was pretty cool.”

Neustadt is returning to the team with Assistant Coach Mauricio Medina, who played for the team last year. After the team struggled with pitching and defense last season, Neustadt has changed his coaching strategy accordingly, focusing on improvement.

“I don’t like to focus on wins and losses. I just want to see the team progress and grow,” Neustadt said.