Western Brown first baseman Seth Barber, right, stretches for the ball as Williamsburg’s Eli Jones (0) tries to beat out the throw during a scrimmage Thursday, March 16 at the Western Brown High School field.
Western Brown pitcher Zavier Hamilton throws during a scrimmage against Williamsburg on Thursday, March 16 at the Western Brown High School field.
Scrimmage games are a subjective thing – they can mean different things to different people.
Or in this case, high school baseball coaches.
In one of a handful of scrimmages it has scheduled this spring, Western Brown played Williamsburg on Thursday, March 16 at the Western Brown field. Broncos’ coach Jon Crall said team statistics weren’t kept and he wasn’t aware of the final score.
But the game did have its moments – and significance – for Crall and the Broncos as they eye the start of the regular season later this month (many local teams open Saturday, March 25).
“We played well most of the time. There were a few moments where we made some mistakes, but they were great learning moments that we can fix in practice,” Crall said. “As far as the team is concerned, we are very optimistic about the 2023 season. We are hoping to have a successful season.”
Yes, optimism is running at least somewhat high with the five area Brown County high school teams heading into the 2023 season, with Western Brown, Eastern Brown and Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington returning all but a few players combined from last year’s teams.
“We lost a four-year starter from last year’s 14-9 season. We return the rest of the roster,” Crall said.
Top returners include junior Abe Crall (pitcher/third base), junior Ben Crall (pitcher/third base/outfield), senior Matt Frye (pitcher/center field), senior Andrew Schneeman (catcher), and senior Seth Barber (pitcher/first base), the coach said, adding that Abe Crall has committed to Wright State and Ben Crall to Morehead State. The Cralls, Frye and Barber head up the Broncos’ pitching staff, a strength, along with experience, Jon Crall added.
Eastern Brown returns 11 of 13 varsity players from last year, according to Warriors coach Steve Goetz.
“We have five seniors, four juniors, four sophomores and one freshman on the 14-man varsity roster this season, so we have a great mix of older, varsity-experienced guys and some young talent, a lot of whom got some good varsity experience last season,” Goetz said.
Pitching depth should be a key for the Warriors. According to Goetz, the rotation will be led junior Wyatt Haupt, sophomore Pryce Murphy, junior Carter Vaughn, senior Caleb Jimison, and junior Wylee Sawyers. On offense, Haupt, Vaughn, Sawyers, Murphy, Jackson Prine and Brandon Bailey are expected to lead the way, Goetz said. And the defense should be improved, too, he added.
“While we struggled a bit in 2022 on the defensive side, I think we’ll be much better in 2023,” Goetz said. “We have a lot of versatility with our fielders – a lot of them can and probably will play several different positions throughout the season. We don’t have to be spectacular on defense; we just need to consistently make the plays we are supposed to make and not give up extra outs and extra runs. If we do that, we have the potential to be a really good team in 2023.”
Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington returns all but one starter from a year ago, when the team won a tournament game for the first time in seven years, coach Cary Gray said.
Top returners include senior Spencer Gray (pitcher/center field), senior Drew Applegate (pitcher/first base), senior Corbin McRae (outfield), and junior Daniel Rayhawk (catcher). The coach points to junior Lucas Garlejo (third base), junior Alex Applegate (outfield/pitcher) and sophomore Grant Jodrey (second base) as players to watch this season.
“Many of the players have three years of varsity experience,” the coach said, listing experience and chemistry as the team’s strengths in 2023 (depth and a lack of power arms are weaknesses, he said). “We have improved steadily every season and expect to continue on an upward trajectory.”
Fayetteville-Perry also notched its first tournament win in numerous years – since 2016 – Rockets coach Chris Snider said of last year. But he added that losing five players from last year’s 4-16 team could make for a challenging 2023 season. He listed leadership, defense, and starting pitching as the team’s strengths.
Top returners, according to Snider, include senior Austin Snider (pitcher/first base/outfield), senior Collin Mayer (shortstop/second base/pitcher), junior Clayton Holden (catcher), and senior Jonas Jakeway (first base/pitcher).
Georgetown will also be on the young side, coach Sean Crawford said. But as is often the case this time of year, hope springs eternal for the G-Men, too.
“I expect big things from Bradley Ison and Xavier Ernst, both sophomores,” Crawford said. “I’m looking forward to the season getting underway and I’m excited to watch my team grow.”