In recent seasons, Novato High’s varsity baseball program hasn’t had as much success as both the players and coaches had hoped for, creating pretty modest expectations for this year’s team. However, this year’s team is unlike other Hornets teams in recent history. This is due to a group of committed players, some quality coaching, and an all-around sense of camaraderie that has helped them win games.

Before this year, the last five full baseball seasons at Novato High had not gone to plan, resulting in a combined record of 29-84. Something has clearly changed as this year’s team was able to compete with any MCAL team. The Hornets are currently boasting a 14-11 record (8-8 in MCAL) including an impressive 1-0 shutout win over Moreau Catholic in an NCS postseason game.

 Assistant coach Jason Searle explained what separates this year’s team from teams in the past. 

“I think this year’s team does a good job of taking responsibility for themselves and they believe in each other, so they believe that they can win, and they’re definitely trying to create more of a winning culture,” Searle said. 

The drive in this team is evident, winning games over some of MCAL’s top teams including a key 5-3 win over Redwood, as well as an 8-0 drubbing of Archie Williams.

Freshman outfielder and pitcher Dominic Scafani talked about how the team matches up with some of the other teams in the league.

“I think that our team matches up better against the better teams in MCAL because we never back down from a challenge and we believe that we are the better team,” he said.

Much credit has to go to the coaching staff led by Don MacQuarrie, Steve Detwiler, and Searle. 

“I try to teach personal responsibility and try to give a structure that people can thrive in and play well in,” said Searle, when asked about his coaching style. “We spend quite a bit of time on the basics and on fundamentals but also making sure that we’re mentally prepared for the game.” 

Fellow Hornets coach Steve Detwiler is the head of the Stings program, a youth baseball group that has many of the county’s top middle school ballplayers. Detwiler’s addition to the coaching staff is helping to bring a lot of new talent to Novato over the next few years.

“I believe our success this season is sustainable for future years,” said Scafani. “{And a part of that is} because of all of the incoming freshmen that know our coach Steve Detwiler.” 

Another aspect of the team’s success is the obvious chemistry that the players have created throughout the year. 

“I think this year’s team does a good job of taking responsibility for themselves and they believe in each other,” said Searle. “They believe that they can win, and they’re definitely trying to create more of a winning culture.”

This team also has some great leaders, as Scafani mentioned. 

“I believe that Derek Bartram and Will Carlson are two of the main people that everyone looks up to, not only because they are seniors and start, but because they are always there and on time, they always do the little things,” he said.

The Hornets are deep and built for the future, a future that is only going to get better.