Gilroy – After spending most of the season atop the national rankings, the Silicon Valley Xtreme traveling baseball team was thrown a curve ball with a fifth-place finish in Colorado that derailed what, by all accounts, can still be called a stellar season.
The season-ending loss has the Xtreme team hungrier than ever to wash that bad taste from their palate.
For the members of the Xtreme, winning is what they do best. And prior to their final tournament in Colorado, the 13-year-old travel team had accumulated an impressive 123-17 record. In addition to winning 88 percent of their games, the Xtreme won nine championships and captured the No. 1 ranking in the nation for a six-month period.
Although the team originally consisted of only Gilroy players, it has since grown to include athletes from San Jose and Marina. Head coach Warren Gasper attributes the team’s success to the arrival of these top players.
“Before this season started we picked up some good talent from around the area,” Gasper said. “They have helped us tremendously.”
Although the players have been together for less than a year, they perform with the cohesiveness of a much more seasoned team. When asked about their success, Gasper gave all the praise to his players.
“They are a group of hungry individuals who have unbelievable drive,” he said.
Because of the team’s sudden rise to the top of their age class, they were forced to play teams ranking in the top 10 nationally in almost every tournament they played. According to Gasper, this is just what his players wanted.
“They hoped to be playing at all the top level tournaments in the nation, competing against those top-tier teams,” he said.
Saying that the Xtreme loves to compete is quite an understatement. Attaining the No. 1 spot in the nation was a feat that was both rare and difficult to achieve and one in which the team took great pride.
The Xtreme’s season may have come to a premature end in Colorado, but that hasn’t dampened the team’s spirits in any way. In fact, this year’s success has the team hungrier than ever and with September fast approaching, the promise of a new season has bred fresh hope. The Xtreme is determined to build off of this year’s past success, step up to the plate and make this the year they take care of unfinished business.
By Michael Stevens Special to the Dispatch
