All friendships start somewhere, sophomore Eddie Sofen’s and junior Cutler Crook’s started when both of them began playing baseball on the Minneapolis Millers Youth Baseball team. With a one grade difference, maintaining this friendship in school is difficult and comes in the form of getting together and playing video games, board games or baseball outside of school.

The way baseball is structured is what made Sofen and Crook such close friends. When Sofen first started playing baseball around four or five years old, it was in the form of t-ball. This was the most basic kind of baseball where the ball would be placed upon a tee and there would be no pitcher. The next stage is coach pitch, which works exactly as it sounds. Then follows little league, otherwise known as kid pitch. Throughout this ladder, most players stay together which leads to more familiar environments to play in.

“Everyone stayed at the same level, for the most part, so you formed really really close bonds with some people. But Cutler and I stayed on the same level for the entire time,” Sofen said.

Both Sofen and Crook went through this progression but they only met in elementary school when they entered little league. Their unique positions also led to making them closer friends, with Crook at catcher and Sofen at pitcher, most activities led to the two being partners.

“I didn’t know Cutler before, third grade, which is when we started playing baseball together. It was a little league so we pitched. He played catcher, I was a pitcher, so we got along.” Sofen said.

This friendship that was put together through baseball used other methods of staying together. As they only live 10 minutes away from each other, they would often watch Formula One races and regularly play card games.

Sofen changed schools from Southwest to SPA just last year to stay closer with Crook. Sofen references the shorter class times and undedicated teachers to what caused a defunct community where feeling belonging was more difficult.

“There weren’t any free periods, so you didn’t really get to interact with people that weren’t in your class as much.” Sofen said.

With the one year grade gap and Crook looking for colleges in the near future, Sofen hopes that they can keep in touch after they go their separate ways.