“Last time I heard about the baseball season from Mr. {Coach} Strelow was last year.” Jakub Chowaniec, a senior.

The fall offseason that occurred a month ago (August-September) for the Summit Argonauts gave us a visual learning of our future Argo out and infielders, designated hitters, and POS, and something added that will seemingly represent the next four months of wait for the season: uncertainty.

For every sport that is upcoming and adjacent, anticipation rises and increases as we get closer to the official season. Words are spread around hallways and social media, and all we might get for now in Argo baseball is……. the offseason. A lack of official news is what we know about the actual season, which is four months from the official season. This is the information we have so far regarding the wait.

The offseason showcased and put the spotlight on all classes, including 14- year-old Jason Braho.

Infatuated with baseball since the age of 7, Jason Braho believes it is imperative that he communicates with his fellow scouts, but since he is “only 14 playing with people older and more experienced,” it is more of a challenging aspect for the freshman.

“One way that I deal with it is that I try to make my team members friends, so it doesn’t feel as embarrassing,” says Braho, who is a committed member of the offseason team, but even he does not have much knowledge on what’s next. What is now is speculation.

Rumors and spoken specks of speculations are all we have.

We are not even sure what to expect from the team itself. In this period, the assumption is all we have. Since the fall offseason, it has been a month-drought of no official news. It is a long four-month wait before the season, so the process OF waiting is what we settle with, along with speculation.

That example of speculation is freshman Kori Briley. In a short interview, she rumored that a female friend (name not mentioned for confidentiality) would be able to join the all-boys baseball come February.

If this is made official in the four months, this is not only good news and news in general but will positively affect the baseball team and the community surrounding Argo, creating a momentous achievement for said female friend.

But. It. Is. Just. Speculation. And. Rumors. No official, 100% news has been given to us yet, and we are bound and forced to focus on the waiting period we have…….and the disturbing relics of past Argo ball play.

An earlier tanking season is what gives Argo an insight into how to ignite the flame for the next season.

The 2021-22 season for the Argonauts (according to MaxPreps) gives us a preview of what the team is compelled to improve on following this waiting period.

For what it’s worth, the results are disconcerting.

(Information gathered from MaxPreps) The varsity team finished 526th in national rankings, was 12th in conference play, 12th in the South Suburban Blue Conference League (2-17), and 12th in the 4a Illinois Class (3-19). Playoffs were not an option, and the team did not see gold or achieving accolades.

This is not to blemish the reputation of Argo, or even severely surround the team with castigation.

But ignition is imperative. And picking up the pace is significant. Assuming that the four-month wait is necessary for longer training, with an earlier declining season and an abhorrent record, that four-month wait can ignite that flame inside a brewing, focused, eager-to-win Argonaut team, urging for a comeback.

What Argo can improve on are the daily practices. Instead of having an offseason, invite people from the offseason to practice days out of the week and keep updated progress of the players.

Have meetings at least one day out of the week and check up on the player’s physicality and mentality. Express goals, and new drills that could appear in a practice that is recommended. But going down this path is confusing.

Having a month-long offseason and then waiting four more months for results doesn’t cause anything but uncertainty.

But with what we have currently, and what we had gotten prior, baseball news might not appear for a while. So, we settle with the information that we have. And in four months, we will finally know our answer.

“When I heard that Argo has baseball, I got excited thinking I can start again and fresh,” Jason Braho says.