Baseball looks to finish strong in another successful season

Drew Greene, Sport's Editor

As the season comes to a close, the baseball team is hoping to go into high gear in order to come out on top in the region and state. Coach Josh Aldrich and his assistants have led the team to a 14-5 record.

In the region, the team is currently sitting at 8-2. This places them near the top of the region, with Lee-Davis and Godwin.

The team has fought for the number one spot after a crucial 7-6 win against Freeman, where senior closer Tyler Bradt came away with the win after striking out three out of the six batters he faced. Juniors Nick Noonan and Scott Sweeney played a big part in the win as well. Noonan made a diving catch at the warning track to strand three Freeman runners on base, while Sweeney scored two runs in the game after the opposing pitcher threw two wild pitches in the dirt. The winning run came after senior Hayes Fallen got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Also, on senior night, the team shined in a 10-0 win against Hermitage in five innings. Junior catcher Drew Larsen realizes the importance of these wins in the hunt for the first seed in the region.

“Every win is big for us. Every team that is up there in the region is going to have only a few losses, so we have make sure that we keep winning,” Larsen said.

Looking ahead to states, the team is hoping that they are able to overcome some obstacles to raise the trophy. Last season, current senior second baseman Brooks Mazey was named on the Class 5 all-state team. While he, as well as many other players on the team, played well during the state tournament, they fell short against Prince George in the semifinals, losing 7-3. In the past two years, Prince George knocked the team out of the tournament both times. The team believes that they are able to defeat any opposition that gets in its way.

“We just have to stick to what we know, stay focused, and leave it all on the field,” Larsen said.

However, in mid-April, the team had a setback after senior ace Brandon Hill fractured his wrist on the first pitch of the game in the 10-9 loss against Atlee. He is expected to be back by states, and having more depth in the bullpen will be beneficial to the team.

With a strong bullpen and consistent batters, the team looks poised for a deep run in the playoff this season.