There is something of an unofficial motto bouncing around the Warrenton baseball team these days – just ask junior catcher/pitcher Austin Haas.

‘Stay healthy, stay hungry.’

The Warriors are off with a bang – a 13-2 record as of press time – and have enjoyed good health to match the team’s successful run of play.

“It's a great start, something I think our team needed (because) we all know we are capable of that,” Haas said. “We always make sure to tell the team before we break ‘Don't stop here, on to the next. Stay hungry.’ We want to stay healthy and stay hungry."

Perhaps one of the biggest things fueling the Warriors’ hunger is that the team continually gorges at the plate in a binge that would make a competitive eater jealous as the team aims to keep eating.

Warrenton has tallied double figures in nine of the team’s wins and is averaging a robust 10 runs per game.

“Our offense has been a strength for us,” Warrenton coach Eric Burle said. “We’ve been fortunate to fill gaps left by (graduations). We have a good group of guys with two to four years of experience that have played key roles.”

Even though the team has been sturdy from the top of the line-up to the bottom, some players have stood out. Haas’ .535 average is top five in the St. Louis area while Caleb Clark’s .600 slugging percentage, junior second baseman Colin Disilvester’s five doubles, and senior shortstop Troy Anderson’s 19 RBI pace the team.

Haas said that, for him, a positive mental approach has helped in his success.

“The thing I believe that has helped me the most is staying confident at the plate,” Haas said. “Knowing baseball is a hard sport, not just physically but mentally (is key), so staying confident is a big part of it. Also, staying simple, making sure to put the ball in play with two strikes and see what the field is giving me before I step in the box so I can envision where the gaps are at. Lastly, (I like to remember) to have fun when playing.”

Warrenton has also found success on the mound to complement Haas's success at the plate.

Freshman Carter Martin and senior Ben Peth, who both sport identical 4-0 records, have been the beneficiaries of both the offense’s smashing start and a top-notch defense behind them.

Senior outfielder Joe Goldsmith said that the team’s taking everything one game at a time has proven beneficial to the Warriors.

“We are having a great time getting the job done on the field and not looking past any opponents,” Goldsmith said. “Our team feeds off of our energy and when we get rolling, we are tough.”

Burle added that being tough and, specifically, having a tough mindset will serve the Warriors well in the coming days. While a 6-0 conference record in the Gateway Athletic Conference North Division has been great, by no means in the team’s goal of a conference title been accomplished.

After all, the team has a schedule ahead which features a tough Fort Zumwalt North Tournament (April 19-20), key conference games with North Point (April 16) and St. Charles West (April 23-24), and challenging contests with Duchesne (April 29) and Union (April 30).

“We understood just how tough this schedule is,” Burle said. “We know we’re going to face stress and adversity. We’ll see how we respond.”