With a couple scrimmages behind them, baseball is gearing up for its season with the addition of new Head Coach Grant Ledbetter.
Having lost 11 players since last season, Ledbetter said there is “really not a lot of game time experience” with returning players.
“We’ve had three or four that had significant playing time last year, so we’re in the middle as far as youth goes,” Ledbetter added.
This means underclassmen will need to step into some bigger leadership roles.
“I think, with me being a sophomore, that we need some of the younger guys to lead the team as well as learning from the older guys,” sophomore Will Herndon said.
This being said, Ledbetter believes many on his team are eager to prove themselves after a long preseason.
“We’ve tested them physically, and we’ve tested them emotionally, and I know that they are being put through and asked to do a whole lot more than they’ve been asked at times in the past, and they’re not letting it break them,” Ledbetter said.
In particular, he mentioned freshman Gehrig Lair as an underclassman to look out for.
“He’s already had a couple outings, pitching in some of our scrimmages and done real well and proven that we can trust him with the ball in his hand,” Ledbetter said.
Though Ledbetter is new to the school, he said he has already seen resilience in the team.
“I just think that there’s been a huge amount of buy in from guys, and I think we’ve had three or four scrimmages already, and just the investment that they’ve, they’ve made over the off season in the weight room is really kind of surfacing itself,” Ledbetter said.
As they progress into the season, Ledbetter emphasized that the team aims to “control the controllables,” namely its attitude and effort.
“They’ve invested a lot of time, and so they’re excited to see it pay off,” Ledbetter said. “I think we think it’s going to, so we’re all ready to get going.”
As a new high school coach and with “a pretty young roster,” Ledbetter hopes to continue building on what the team has created in preseason preparation.
“I don’t know how good we’re going to be. I don’t know how many wins we’re going to have, but I think the pieces are being put in place, and they’re doing a good job of building the culture that can sustain itself,” Ledbetter said.
With this in mind, the goal for both senior Joseph Yost and junior Will Shughart is to not only host a Regional, but to win one.
“That’s the main goal right now, but it’s such a long season that you can’t really get ahead of yourself for your long-term goals,” Shughart said.
Despite the coaching change, the players believe it was for the better. The change in culture has benefited the team in different ways.
“There was no structure last year, and this year there’s a structured schedule sent out every day,” Yost said. “We all wear the same uniform at practice, which is already ahead of a lot.”
The first game of the season is at home March 5 at 4:30 p.m.
