By Matt Browning
The first few weeks of the season did not go the way Wichita West’s Skyler Arreloa thought it would.
The Pioneers started 0-7 and confidence was shaken for everyone.
But Arreloa and his teammates suddenly clicked and they won 11 of their next 12 games.
“We all came together and knew things need to change,” Arreola said. “We knew we need to turn our weaknesses into strengths.”
Arreola was a first-team all-league outfielder last season, but one thing he wanted to improve on was his speed.
“One of the cons about my game was my speed,” Arreola said. “Going into the year that was the biggest goal for myself. The weight room had become an essential part of the offseason.”
One of the best memories for Arreola this season was one that did not really involve him.
“We were up on a team early in the game,” Arreola said. “Our head coach had pulled us from the lineup, to be able to give our other teammates an at-bat. One of my teammates had never played baseball and he never complained about anything. The only thing on his mind was to improve. After our big blowout inning, he was called up to hit and it was his first AB in his life. He struck out in his first outing, but after that, he would get to hard-hit balls up the middle. He ended up going 2-for-3 at the end of the night. It was awesome seeing how happy he was being able to play.”
