Cayden Kubler d is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Marcos de Niza for AZPreps365.com

Marcos de Niza baseball fundraises in many different ways for its baseball team in the offseason.]With a roster of 14 players, the team has to raise money in the offseason to cover expenses and it's a never-ending quest for funds.

“We figure in order to get everything that we need for the season, we need to be at about $12,000 by the time we are done fundraising,” said baseball booster club president Shari Courtney.

Expenses for the team include pre-game jerseys for the players, hats, coaches jackets and senior-year banners. Marcos de Niza, however, doesn’t purchase new uniforms every season as their budget doesn’t allow for it. The Padres are currently on the fourth consecutive season using the same uniforms. 

“Having upgraded equipment is always nice to have. An upgrade to our hitting tunnel and other field equipment will not only improve the safety of our team but also benefit both players and coaches,” said lead assistant coach Jesse Chavez. 

“We do a bunch of different fundraisers. We do an online fundraiser that is similar to GoFundMe in the fall. We also sell a lot of apparel in order to get the brand/logo out in the community and raise money. We also do a cornhole tournament at the start of the season,” said Marcos de Niza's head coach Matthew Courtney. 

Along with a cornhole tournament that is popular, they fundraise in other ways to pay for their expenses. The Padres do an online fundraiser in the fall, the players also send links to their friends, family and others to donate to the team. 

“It’s hard to say a certain amount of money that we shoot for. Coach and I do a quick budget and wish list before the season starts and we go from there.  We have been very fortunate to have been able to purchase almost everything that we have needed,” said Shari Courtney on how the budget for the team is determined. 

The school also purchases Gatorade products for the players during the games such as powder for drinks and protein bars. A new expense that the team had to cover was a communication system between the catcher and coach. The catchers now have an earpiece and the coach communicates with him through a walkie-talkie. This allows easier communication for the team when the coach gives pitches to the catcher.

This new tech was recently approved for high school teams to improve communication with the catcher and coaching staff.

“Depends on the need," said Chavez, who also suggested, "a new hitting turtle for the baseball team is much needed. Would also be nice for new uniforms and other equipment."