It was back on March 29, after winning the first game of a double-header against the Hawaii Rainbows, 6-4, that a dozen Hornet baseball players made a circle with their arms interlocked minutes before the start of the second game. Senior second baseman Taylor Watanabe held a Bible as he read an excerpt from its pages to his teammates.

“One of the biggest things for us right now is the second game. We need to come out just asking God to refresh our bodies and, you know, stay strong,” Watanabe said. “From first Corinthians 16:13 ? watch, stand fast, be brave and be strong.”

There was a pause as the hat-less players continued to bow their heads in prayer. Senior third baseman David Flores broke the silence when he asked Watanabe to explain the verse as he chuckled.

“Just wait upon the Lord, alright guys. In times of trials be strong in faith. He’ll never let you down,” Watanabe said.

The Hornets went on to win the second game, 5-2, and went on to sweep the Rainbows in the four-game series.

Senior Ryan Blair, Gabe junior Jacobo and sophomore Tim Wheeler have been influential in creating what they refer to as the “prayer circle,” which is led by senior second baseman Watanabe before every game.

“(The prayer circle) was kind of a collective group thing last year. It started out with just a few guys and then more and more guys got out there,” Blair said. “Basically what we’ll do is pray, we’ll end it with a joke and then we’ll give high-fives and get ready for the game.”

Watanabe said he fell into the role as the leader of the prayer circle because of his mother’s religious influence on him.

“My mom is always the one feeding me all these verses and telling me that I have to step up and really be a light to everyone on the team,” Watanabe said.

All of the prayer circle participants have a strong belief in God and most have had a prominent church background growing up.

“It lets God know that we’re here playing for him,” said Brandon Sandoval, who went to a K-8 Catholic school.

“Our belief is that God is our foundation. It all starts from him and it carries over too because basically our job here is to spread the word,” Watanabe said. “Be a good example to every one else in the world. So I think the way we play is we trust and have faith in each other and it translates onto the field.”

“It’s not an uncommon thing (to pray before a game). Ideally you play for (God) and that’s what it is about,” Wheeler said.

As a senior, this season will be Watanabe’s last as the “minister” of the prayer circle. It is not certain who will step up and take his place but Sandoval has his own assumptions.

“I could see (Wheeler) stepping into that role. He just seems like a guy that would do that,” he said.

Other than being religiously devout, Blair, Jacobo, Wheeler and Sandoval are roommates who are very close with each other. Before the prayer circle became a pregame routine, the group invited over teammates to their house for Bible study sessions.

Blair said even though he and his roommates are all a year apart in school they are all very close to one another.

“We hang out so much that we usually forget what age is what. We all act the same, we’re all purpose driven but we also act a little funny at times too,” Blair said.

Even when they are not on the baseball field Blair said he and his roommates are constantly competing in games of darts and pingpong.

“All of us just hate losing. I just think we stay competitive because then we keep that same focus (on the baseball field),” Blair said. “It’s just how we are. Everything’s got to be a competition.”

“We taped up the living room floor with a 4-by-20-something foot little rink and we use a piece of cardboard and we call it house pong and we keep score,” Blair said.

He said another hobby he and his roommates enjoy together is fishing but added that he is the only one who has not caught a fish.

Blair said that Jacobo is the biggest prankster of the bunch and added that Wheeler is usually the target of their practical jokes. Sandoval remembered a time when he could not get out of his room because a rope was tied from his bedroom door knob to Wheeler’s.

“We’ve had this on-going prank where we put saran wrap over the toilet seat,” Blair said. “We pick on (Wheeler) all the time. Every now and then when he’s in the shower we lean buckets of water against his door and when he opens it the water comes flying in.”

“We’ve done that, like, one time,” Jacobo said with a smile on his face while standing next to Wheeler.

“Gabe has this little monster with suction cups you put on the toilet seat and when you open it up (the monster) pops out,” Sandoval said.

Blair, Jacobo and Sandoval are all from Tulare County and have known and played each other since their younger playing days.

“I like talking to them about anything. (I) ask about classes, which building is which – all the freshman stuff,” Sandoval said.

The prayer circle is something this group of teammates share that draws them close, while bettering their relationships and giving them self-satisfaction. They are as intense about their beliefs as they are on the diamond.

“We’ve just figured that God has given us this opportunity to (play baseball) in life and we might as well thank him while we’re at it,” Jacobo said. “It’s to show that we give all the glory to God and whatever happens is up to him.”

Andrew Eggers can be reached at [email protected]