Sussex Academy baseball locked in on state tournament goal

A record of 8-10 is one thing for a growing program, but 8-10 with six losses by two runs or fewer could sink the ship with the wrong crew.

The Sussex Academy baseball team thinks it has what it takes to flip those scores in the right direction in 2026.

“We're capable of making the playoffs and competing with every team we play,” senior Maddox Roberts said. “This team's special this year; we got good potential.”

Last year, a few games slipped away that seemed destined for easy wins, and the Seahawks believe they have corrected course on those flight patterns.

“If you're up by a lot, just don't take that for granted because it can come back and bite you,” senior Laine Roberts said.

Lessons learned and confidence in hand, Sussex Academy believes it has grown from its trials and tribulations.

“We've never been this close in all four years that I played here,” said senior Victor Goodhue. “We really got it together at the end of last year, and then we got thrown a curve and had to bring in coach [Michael] DiCarlo as the new coach. We're happy to have him, and it really brought us together through adversity.”

Goodhue has been a leader on the team since his sophomore year, and he thinks some of what had been holding the guys back was mental.

“At some point you gotta realize, they're all boys just like us,” Goodhue said. “They're the same age, talent wise … maybe better, but if you compete as hard as you can, you'll find yourself in a lot of games.”

DiCarlo has liked what he has seen so far from his older players, but sees a lot in a sophomore class with plenty of experience.

“This will be their third year on varsity, which means we got youth and experience, which is good for the team overall,” DiCarlo said.

The Seahawks will head north to take on First State Military Academy at Smyrna Clayton Little League at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 24.