Joshua Eaton is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Higley High School for AZPreps365.com

The Higley Knights varsity baseball squad has turned heads this season, already matching last season’s win total of 13 with five games remaining. Behind their successful season thus far has been a trio of mottos that the team has embraced and embodied on the diamond: “Program over everything,” “Fight, fight, fight” and “Victory with class.”

Putting the program over everything is more than a motto for the Knights — it’s a style of play. Higley head coach Ryan Chapman described it as an unselfish approach to baseball, where players put their bodies on the line and sacrifice highlight reel hits for the team’s success.

“We play small ball,” Chapman said. “Not a lot of guys want to go up there and bunt normally, it’s not something that’s sexy. Everyone wants to hit those barrels or home runs — those are the sexy things. But getting the job done is huge. We’ve got 20 dudes on this roster and all 20 of them are willing to lay their ego down and do what’s best for the program.”

Knights junior outfielder Luke Joslyn embodied this mantra of putting the team above individual pride this season following an injury that sidelined him for most of March. He used the injury as an opportunity to assume a new role on the team while recovering.

“[Getting injured] kind of sucked, but I took that and I was like, ‘I’m going to be a guy on the bench and I’m going to be a leader,’” Joslyn said. “Even though I wasn’t able to play for a month this year and that really hurt, I was able to step up in my role, become a team leader and get the guys going.”

Overcoming adversity, such as Joslyn did, is also a key aspect of the Knights’ “fight, fight, fight” motto.

In a 2-0 win over Highland on Thursday, Higley junior infielder Jordan Heraldez displayed a perfect representation of fighting and battling until the end. After striking out in both of his first two at-bats, Heraldez stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning and crushed an extra-base hit that drove in both of the Knights’ runs on the night.

“I was at shortstop and I was just going through it, and all of a sudden everything just clicked,” Heraldez said. “You just need one little thing to build you up, and I just kept that composure within me. Every pitch I kept on fighting and fighting, and getting that one pitch, that one moment, that’s all you need. One pitch and you can impact the game.”

In games like Thursday’s win over Highland, emotions can flip in an instant. Maintaining composure and class throughout each game regardless of the outcome is something the Knights take pride in.

“[Baseball is] an emotional sport,” Chapman said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs, and keeping that level head, whether it’s a big hit and you’re pumped up, you have your 5-10 seconds to (celebrate), then you have to level back down. There’s no chirping from our dugout, it’s all about us. That’s that ‘victory with class.’ Whether we win or lose, we’re going to do it the right way.”

The Knights have done a lot the right way this season, currently on the brink of making their first playoff appearance since the 2021-22 season courtesy of unselfish baseball and a never-ending fight mentality.

Higley’s trek to the playoffs continues on April 14, when the Knights play host to Gilbert in a regional showdown.