Baseball season swings into season

The Tigers varsity baseball team hit off a new season beginning in March. The team welcomed back several outstanding players, including senior Ben Summerall, last season All-Area player, leading the way. Seniors Seth White, second base, and Rich Mullen, an outfielder, will be returning for their last year with the Tigers team. “Otherwise, we have a fairly young team,” said head coach Gus Bell. “But the new players are quality players and they have been practicing with a lot of desire and determination.”

The odds of starting look good for five or six of the seven sophomores on the team. “Cody Amos, Ben Bevill, Jacob Cook, Lee Graddy, Blake Haas, Chris McDonald, and Josh Moates will all see some playing time, if not start this year,” according to Bell. In competition for these starting positions are juniors Alan Brooks, Brian Costas, Danny Deangelis, Drew Nichols, and Dave Wilson. “If we get competitive pitching from Nichols, Wilson, and Mullen, this could be a good year for us,” said Bell. “We should have good speed and some power.”

In practice, under the guidance of Bell and recent addition Ron DeSantis as assistant coach, the team has been working on improving defensively and avoiding mental mistakes. “The addition of DeSantis has been very beneficial to me as well as the players,” said Bell