How SAAS student leaders launched our inaugural Baseball team

By: Sarah-Mae McCullough, Editorial Content Manager

Almost immediately after SAAS announced our inaugural boys Baseball team would launch in spring of 2025, a group of Upper School boys showed up in Assistant Athletic Director Max Bayern’s office. It was six months out from the season’s start, but these future team members wanted to introduce themselves to their future head coach—and plan how to shape their team-to-be into the strongest, most successful force possible. 

The upperclassmen leaders, including Eli Herst ’26 and Liam Mahoney ’25, who later became the program’s first team captains, brought “extremely high energy from day one,” Max recalls. They’d already advocated for the team’s creation, with support from faculty, and now they were wasting no time bringing their vision to life: establishing the team’s values, organizing pre-season, group workouts, and planning how to optimize practice time.

The students’ initiative laid a foundation for the 2025 season and many to follow. It established a program culture of resilience and selflessness, leading to a successful first season. 

“Ten years down the line, I want SAAS to be a baseball powerhouse, and that all started this year with us,” Eli, a team co-captain and junior who’s already committed to playing baseball at Vanderbilt University, said this spring. “We’re building the right culture and team work ethic that will get passed down through generations of players.” 

Year one of SAAS baseball has been nothing short of amazing. It was an outstanding experience to collaborate with our student-athletes, coaches, and SAAS community. This inaugural team built the foundation and excitement for future Cardinal baseball players.

– Max Bayern, Baseball Coach, Assistant Athletic Director