The Oracle: What made you want to start playing?
Sean Li: I just played from a young age, and I think the teamwork that comes with baseball has really made me stick with it throughout the years. Pretty much all of my closest friends throughout my life have played baseball, and it’s really helped me grow close with them. The roller coaster of emotions that comes with baseball, all the ups and downs — especially the downs, they make the ups a lot better. It’s a very mental sport,
so I feel like I’ve grown a lot with it.

TO: How has this season been for you individually and as a whole team?
SL: Individually, I’m playing the best I’ve ever played. I have a really good mindset, and I’m really confident in my skills. I’m having the most fun out of any of the years so far. Team-wise, we went through a little rough patch before spring break. But our last two games before spring break, we were definitely improving, and we’re definitely on the right track to winning more games. So I’m just excited for what’s to come.

TO: Now that you’re a senior, how are you feeling with this being your last season on the Gunn team?
SL: The four years definitely went by really fast for me. It’s pretty crazy seeing how — because I’ve been on varsity for all four years — the team has changed in those four years. (When) we started off in freshman year, we weren’t that good, and now we’ve proven that we get to compete with some of the top teams in the area. I’m satisfied with how the four years have gone.

The Oracle: Who inspires you to play?
Lauryn Selvaraj: My dad has been putting in a lot of time since I was 10. He’s gone to every game, driven me to every practice, so that really inspires me to do my best. Then, a lot of my teammates, especially at Gunn — like Ruth (Jaquette) and I have been playing together for so long, I feel like she inspires me to do my best and she’s always there to support me when I’m playing.

TO: What has been the most memorable moment this season?
LS: We were at Cupertino (High School), and we didn’t think we were going to win. Then in the first inning, we did really well and scored five runs. My freshman year, our game was recorded on Cal-Hi Sports against Cupertino, and that game was really close. I didn’t do too well that game, but then this year — it was like four years later — it was cool to see how we improved. At the end of the game Ruth and I did a little handshake that got on camera, so it was pretty cool.

TO: How has your last season on the Gunn team been?
LS: It’s kind of sad. My co-captain Ruth and I, we’ve been here for four years and we’ve known the coach for a long time. So just knowing that it’s our last time we’re ever going to be playing on this field and with each other — because we played together for I think 10 years now — and knowing that it’s about to end is something sad we’re both thinking about. We’re trying to really live in the moment and have a good season.