Forest Grove baseball is picking up winning steam

A slow start has given way to what they hope is a fast finish for the Forest Grove High School baseball team.

After losing nine of their first 12 contests, the Vikings have won five of their last six league games and find themselves tied for third in the Pacific Conference and working their way back into state playoff contention.

Forest Grove head coach Justin Engeseth said they haven’t done anything dramatic to make said strides, but believes they’re just seeing the fruits of what’s been weeks of labor working towards playing as a team.

“I think the constant reinforcement that we can execute the small things is setting in,” Engeseth said. “The kids are starting to see that good things happen when you play solid as a unit.”

The coach said it’s never been a hard sell to the kids, for he has always and continues to speak highly of the team’s commitment to the work and each other. But at the same time said you often have to see it happen before you truly believe in what can be if you work together.

“The biggest thing for us from a buy-in perspective was the ‘we’ concept instead of ‘me,’” Engeseth said. “We have really good teammates, but I don’t know if the kids believed ‘we’ could get it done opposed to ‘I’ can get it done. But guys have started buying in to more of that team concept and we’ve seen the results.”

That doesn’t mean there weren’t some technical things to work out, for the fundamentals of the game are always there to be worked on. Engeseth said the players have taken that work seriously, along with the coaches who he said have made a concerted effort to pay closer attention to the little things in hopes of positively affecting the bottom line — winning.

“The ability has always been there, we just had to iron out some of the small fundamental stuff,” Engeseth said. “As a staff, we put more emphasis on looking at and watching swings for adjustments, and the kids have done their part.”

When asked if any specific players have led the charge, Engeseth pointed to a few players who’ve stepped up their performance on the field, which in turn has shown others the way to put an even better foot forward.

“It’s hard to ignore what Anthony Leo has done,” Engeseth said. “He just goes about his business, but he’s been solid on the mound and he wants the baseball. And guys like (Aydan) Hundley and Lucas Christopherson have really turned things around after struggling for a couple weeks.”

And how’s the team’s attitude now that they’re winning more games? Engeseth said it’s always been good, but sure, it might be even a little better now.

“I don’t think that the attitude has really changed because this is a really good group of guys and guys with really high character already,” Engeseth said. “The seniors are quiet leaders and the juniors are a little more vocal, but everyone has done their part. I just think they’re having more fun.”

The Vikings face league-leading Century this week and will follow that up with Sherwood and McMinnville, two of the conference’s best. It’s yet to be determined if they’ll be up for the heightened challenge, but their coach is anxious to see.

“That’s the million-dollar question, right?” Engeseth said. “We have to keep working hard and can’t be satisfied. Keep competing and play the right way, and the outcomes will keep tilting in our favor.”