The count is 3-2 with two outs, the upcoming pitch to get out of the inning. The pitcher tosses his resin bag once, allowing the white powder to coat his fingers. He steps on the mound, digging in with his cleats, creating a small divot in the dirt. The ball rests in his palm, its leather cover familiar, the laces rough between his fingertips. The ball feels different in his hands, not in weight – but in gravity. 

The catcher signals the pitch, curveball away. The pitcher nods, adjusting his hat before leaning into his stance. The windup. The pitch snaps off the plate as the batter swings, his momentum carrying him in the opposite direction. 60 feet, six inches away, the catcher frames it at the plate. The home plate umpire raises his clenched fist, the universal sign for a strikeout. Junior John Salas lets out a deep exhale. 

The varsity baseball team currently sits at third in the district with a record of 6-4, their best start since 2019 and in a good position to contend for a district title. One factor that can be attributed to their success is Salas, one of the team’s starting pitchers and part of the first base rotation. 

Off the field, Salas balances a demanding class schedule with multiple AP courses. But in the hours leading up to game time, he credits his pregame routine for keeping him grounded and ready to perform. 

“I get down to the field at 3 [p.m.], I grab my plyo balls, my J bands, my glove and headphones and I go down to the [pitcher only] den,” Salas said. “I start doing my plyo balls, and I have a stretching routine I do with my legs and warm my legs. And I always make sure I do my stretches for about an hour while everyone hits.” 

Along with the physical preparation, he also relaxes by watching Family Guy, something he says helps with his mental preparation.

“It’s kind of just more of a superstition thing, doesn’t really help me lock in, but it kind of helps take my mind off the game,” Salas said. “I just like to watch Family Guy, it’s a good show.”

Once batting practice wraps up at 4, Salas sticks to another pregame tradition, Chipotle. 

“I always make sure before a game that I pitch, I get a Chipotle burrito. It has to be a burrito with chicken,” Salas said. “Anytime I get a bowl, we lose, and anytime I get a burrito, we win. So it’s just kind of a little superstition thing.” 

Salas says the superstitions even include what he wears. 

“I always have to wear a sleeve or something like an undershirt,” Salas said. “If I’m not wearing a sleeve or undershirt, it just doesn’t feel right. I also have to wear my cross.” 

Before the intensity of the game, the team keeps things light; whether in the classroom waiting for the bus or heading to the field. 

“We get on the bus, I just listen to my music and I play block blast.” Coach Brad Croak refers to the bus ride to the game as a business trip, urging players to stay focused. “I don’t like to listen to rap, because I prefer slow songs, nothing that gets me really amped up, I guess country music basically. Like Chris Stapleton.” 

Despite his experience as a multi-year starter on varsity, Salas says the nerves never go away. 

“Before a game, I’m very nervous,” Salas said. “I’m always nervous. I’m never not nervous about it, because there’s so many things that can go wrong. But there’s also so many things that can go right. It’s just thinking about a lot of stuff.” 

That’s where his routine plays a crucial role — helping him stay prepared on the task at hand by shifting his focus.

“[I] make sure to just take my mind off the game,” Salas said. “I don’t really wanna be thinking about it too much or I think about other things. Get down to the field, do my stretches and for a [7 p.m.] game, I start tossing around 6:30, after that I’ll throw my [bull]pen and just go.” 

Once he’s in the flow of the game, his mindset shifts. “Eliminate overthinking — and stay focused on the next pitch.” 

“If it’s going well, just keep it, keep the tempo, you can’t let things get to you,” Salas said.”No matter what, winning or losing, it’s just the next pitch. Nothing else matters but the pitch right now.” 

After the game, there is a lot of internal reflection. 

“Usually after a loss, it’s pretty, just thinking about what went wrong, everything that went wrong,” Salas said. “After a win, you know, I just still think of what I did wrong. It’s just more positive.” 

There have been a lot of positive moments so far with the Mavs having not lost a district series yet, beating teams that they haven’t in years. One win in particular stood out to Salas. 

“We beat Vista,” Salas said. “I think we were 0-11 or something like that in previous years.” 

He notes there is clear improvement from last year, but the team needs to continue to take it one step at a time. 

“I think we’re playing well, compared to how we were last year,” Salas said. “Last year we had three wins total, including Manor. Now we have six wins, so we haven’t even played Manor or Hutto. So I’m pretty confident where we’re at. We just gotta take it as it comes. You can’t let the moment be too big.” 

The ceiling for the Mavericks is as high as they want it to be, Salas notes. 

“I think we can make multiple rounds of playoffs,” Salas said.  “I mean, I think our floor should be a playoff team. But we just gotta take every game one game at a time, you know.” 

A team-first oriented player, Salas still has a favorite setting to pitch: “Home. I get my theme music.”