With two games left in the regular season, Skyline College Baseball remains calm and collected as the post-season approaches. 

The Trojans currently sit at a 29-9 record, while being the second seed and 13-5 in the North-Coast conference. After suffering a tough series sweep against Chabot College, the conference standings are essentially set. 

Despite what might’ve been a tough momentum killer for the squad, the team would bounce back in a big way, winning their next three games against De Anza College, Cañada College, and the City College of San Francisco. 

After these victories, outfielder Vinny Smith talked about how this last stretch of regular season games have been treated as playoff games.

“The last few weeks have also been like playoff games…just preparing ourselves because you can’t really go in there not knowing what to expect… playoffs are a different animal,” Smith said.

Head coach Tony Brunicardi explained what changes he’s seen from this group as the season has progressed, especially in turning negative moments into positives. 

“Every team has its own journey, every team has its own book… [From this team] what I’ve seen is camaraderie, a lot of guys maturing and dealing with high pressure situations… this team really learned how to take on not just the positive, but the negative as well,” Brunicardi said. 

A constant theme that Brunicardi pushed was the team remaining consistent regardless of the context or stakes behind games, specifically when playing their post-season games away. 

“I don’t think it matters [When being asked about playoff seeding], our home and away splits are pretty even,” Brunicardi said. “If we play Skyline baseball, we’re going to be pretty successful. Doesn’t matter who or where we play it.” 

Brunicardi honed in on staying disciplined, carrying their successful habits into the playoffs.

“I try to stay consistent all-year round,” Brunicardi said. “I hound these guys about habits and the mindset we take on a daily basis. I think that defines who we are as a team more than anything.” 

Pitcher and team captain Brode Gann expressed what he sees in his freshmen teammates, and how he intends to pass down the torch. 

“As team captain, my coach has told me that I have to prepare the freshmen to take on bigger roles next season,” Gann said. “They’ve learned a lot about what it takes to be good at a collegiate level. I definitely have high hopes for them next season.”