Spring sports season is upon us and that means so is America’s pastime–baseball. Hillsborough has been successful over the past couple years when it comes to this spring sport, but of course this year the team is making an attempt to end with a better result.

The team has been practicing most of the off season at Branchburg Sports Complex running drills indoors that deal with the basic skills of baseball–fielding and batting. The practices were run by the upperclassmen on the team due to rules not allowing coaches to have interactions with the team.

Senior right fielder Chris Zickert has been on the varsity team the past couple years. Being a senior on the team this year, the outfielder is becoming a leader for his fellow teammates. Being committed to Stevens Institute of Technology, Zickert is still dedicated to this upcoming season. Additionally, Zickert had time to mention some goals his team has for the upcoming season.

“Two goals I have for the team are county and state championships,” Zickert said. “I also want to help out the underclassmen and show them the right way to play Boro baseball.”

On March 21, the team had a scrimmage against Saint Joseph High School to prepare for the season. The Raiders scored five unanswered runs to secure the scrimmage win against Saint Joes.

Sophomore sensation Luke Crawford, a player who did not get to show all of his skills last year, was called up during his freshman year due to a senior’s injury. Although Crawford did not get to play on varsity the whole season, his playing time increased as the season went on and he did not waste the opportunity.

“Mentally, I’m just coming into every game ready to compete and doing all I can for our team to win,” Crawford said. “I’m gonna do whatever I can to win games this year.”

The Raiders will open the regular season April 2 against local rival Bridgewater-Raritan.