Baseball Team Aims To Swing Big This Season

With the end of the off-season approaching and baseball season starting up, the baseball team looks to set higher standards and win more . Tryouts start Jan. 24 and senior Jon Davis said the boys are more ready than ever .

Daniel Lang said that seniors are ready to leave their mark on the program, while varsity juniors are just getting started.

“We have been working extremely hard this off-season,” junior Haydn Hammerschmidt said. “The team feels like we left a page unturned after last season. We hung in with the best teams in the district. We had a majority of sophomores starting for their first time on varsity. During this off-season we have hit the weights with full force trying to get stronger and faster. We want to out work our opponents in every aspect of the game, and it starts with working hard before the season even begins.”

Last season, the boys record was 15-9. They lost eight one-run games.

“We have been striving during the off-season,” senior Jon Davis said. “Our record last year gives us motivation to get stronger and to work twice as hard. We were young last year but now we have experience of what the varsity level is like, and that pushes not just me but the other guys too. I expect us to be a more sound team. We have such a strong chemistry and we use that to fuel our energy off of each other.”

On Feb. 2 the boys kick off their season with a scrimmage against Killeen-Shoemaker and Johnson City. Johnson City made it to the playoff round, while Killeen-Shoemaker did not.

“I’m really excited,” Head Coach Shane Doege said. “Off season is going great! To me it is the biggest difference between the team from last year to this year. The guys are extremely committed to their workouts. I think everybody is so much stronger and faster than last season. I tried my best to give us the most challenging schedule possible. I do not want the team to just walk over people. I wanted it to be challenging. Every team after our opener made it to the playoffs.”

There are ten returning lettermen returning to play in the spring. Last year’s team consisted of a majority sophomore starting infield.

“This year’s pitching staff is going to be a force to reckon with,” Doege said. “We have Ace, and Marty at the top then Jon following behind. There are a couple guys that might make some surprises on the mound. Like my big handed left hander. (Austin Hilgenberg) But with all the workouts and how hard the guys that that play football work not only getting stronger, but faster and more physical, I think this year’s squad will be more definitive to winning. I think we have the kind of team that will rise up. Last year built this fire that’s been burning throughout this off-season and it doesn’t look like it will be put out anytime soon. I expect great things for this team.”