The Crush's Seth Holiday runs after a passed ball during a game at Holcom Park.

In team sports, each position holds its own importance. Each ties into what makes the game function as a unit. Each player has the responsibility of his position, and when it all comes together, the game takes true form.

For baseball, one of the more important positions is the catcher. They serve as leaders for the rest of the team, and are usually the players that brings teammates together.

One catcher is Lucas Bergstrom, a senior last year at Lawrence High, who plays on the Red Sox team in the Ice League during the summer. For a baseball player who’s been involved with the game since he was in kindergarten, Bergstrom knows quite a bit about the game and his position.

“I’ve been playing catcher for the last two years,” Bergstrom said. “And I wouldn’t be doing it today if my coach didn’t make me during my sophomore year. I’d have to say it grew on me pretty fast.”

One of the elements of being a catcher is being a leader for the team. Although Bergstrom isn’t much of a talker, he says finds ways to bring the team together.

“I try to keep everyone loose, and keep the mood low key, so we don’t get tense,” Bergstrom said. “I can tell when one guy will start to mentally fall apart and I try to help them out and get back in their game.”

One of the catcher’s specialties is the relationship they have with the pitcher. The connection they have is sometimes separate relationships they experience with the rest of the team.

“One of the things I do is to try to keep the pitcher calm,” Bergstrom said. “I try to take the batter out of it, like it’s just me and him playing some catch.”

Another catcher, Jansen Moore plays for the Crush in the Houk league this summer, and has played baseball for three years.

“I’ve been playing catcher for my last two seasons now,” Moore said. “I like it because I get a lot of action. My friends said it was a lot of fun, so I thought I’d try it, after awhile I decided that I liked it and I’ve been playing catcher ever since.”

Since Moore is still in junior high school, the level of competition can make the catcher-pitcher relationship less involved.

“I don’t really have a connection with the pitcher,” Jansen said. “I just try to get used to his pitches, and be able to make good plays.”

Baseball depends on each person’s ability to play their designated position, and even for catchers, their position affects the outcome of the game.

“I definitely think being catcher is an important job,” Bergstrom said. “You come in contact with the ball all the time, and that requires you being on your toes and in the game 110 percent of the time. Part of the game is mental, as well as physical, which is why I like it so much.”