The Akins Varsity Baseball team is keeping its hopes for making the playoffs alive as it improves on its performance from last year.

The team is ahead in overall wins with an 8-6 record, but down in the district wins count, which is 3-5. The team still has a chance to make the playoffs, but has tough competitors up ahead before the end of the season, including Austin, Westlake and Bowie high schools.

The team won against Del Valle last week, improving the team’s chances to make the playoffs. On Friday, the Eagles played Lehman, which beat Akins 8-0 in March.

The team will face Anderson High School on Tuesday, which the Eagles beat 5-1 in March. However, the baseball team will face Austin, Westlake and Bowie over the next two weeks, all of which have beaten the Eagles once already this season.

The Eagles haven’t made the playoffs in eight years.

Head Coach Steve Velasquez said he is hopeful the team will make the playoffs if the team gets the job done, and since they’re not far off, they have a high chance as long as they beat their next teams.

The players are not only working hard to make the playoffs. They have their own personal goals to achieve. Besides hopes to make the playoffs, the team is happy with players’ individual performances this year.

Junior Austin McNicholas, the team’s shortstop, has hit more than 30 percent when at bat for the season.  He will be taking his talents to the University of Texas when he graduates after he earned a baseball scholarship there last year.

“This is the best team that Akins has ever had,” McNicholas said. “We have a really good chance to make the playoffs. We will be better our second half of the season.”

Senior pitcher Michael Garcia has pitched at Akins since he was a freshman.

“We have a lot of seniors on the team, so it’s really good and mature,” Garcia said.

Regardless if the team makes the playoffs, players said they have enjoyed the season. Seniors said they would miss playing with their long-time teammates when the season comes to a close.

“I’m just really going to miss going out to the field,” senior Ty Snyder said. “Everyone takes things seriously and are real mature.”

The baseball team still has a couple games to go, which means they still have a chance at making playoffs. Although, they’ll have to play their best, as their remaining teams are all ranked higher than them in their district.