Pioneer baseball looking to replace several starters
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And for the Pioneer baseball team, retooling for the 2007 campaign takes on an added importance, after losing several players to graduation from last year?s club.
?When you?ve got to replace seven seniors who started day-in and day-out, that gives you a lot of positions to fill,? said coach J.W. Holt, whose team was able to practice on the Patrick Ramsey Field last Monday and Tuesday before cold weather forced them inside.
?We?ve got to shuffle the lineup around. It?s not like we can pencil in everybody starting at a certain position every day. Depending on who?s pitching, that can change who?s playing where in the field. So this year?s going to be a little different.?
Just three seniors ? Justin Fults, Derrin Rogers and Chase Basham ? are on this year?s Pioneer roster. And of last year?s regular starting lineup, only outfielder Kyle Mullican, catcher/first baseman Clint Newman and catcher/outfielder Justin Bouldin ? who saw regular action late in the 2006 season ? are back for this spring.
So during preseason practices, Holt and his coaching staff have taken advantage of the opportunity to move several players around to various positions, in the hope that the competition among teammates for spots in the everyday lineup will inspire hard work on the practice diamond.
An off-season conditioning program has paid dividends, Holt said, with most of his roster reporting for practice in or near game-shape.
?As far as physical strength they?re where they need to be,? he said, ?and we?ll continue to work in the weight room until the schedule gets to the point where we?re playing every two or three days. So now it?s just a matter of learning all the different parts of the game, and fine-tuning the fundamentals.?
The Pioneers had the opportunity to work on those fundamentals against each other Monday afternoon, when they held a controlled intrasquad scrimmage. Separated into two squads, the teams faced live pitching for the first time this season, and worked on defensive situations with runners on base.
?The intrasquad game went well,? Holt said. ?We threw five of our pitchers on 40-pitch counts, and the way we held the scrimmage they threw about three innings apiece.
?It?s a lot different when you get to see players in live situations, and can judge how they react when the ball?s in play. We saw a lot of good things, and moved some people around the field to see how they?d perform. Being able to play ?live? like that is a big plus for us in getting ready for the season.?
The Pioneers will see even more live action this weekend, when they take part in a two-day preseason event in Rutherford County. WCHS is scheduled to play at La Vergne Friday at 6:30 p.m., and will face Ravenwood at 11 a.m. Saturday before taking on McGavock at 1 p.m. Saturday?s games are slated to be played at Smyrna High School.
March 2, the team will travel for a scrimmage at Franklin County, and will take on Coffee County in Manchester March 3 at 5 p.m. Their final two scrimmages of the preseason will be at home, against Livingston Academy March 5 at 3 p.m. and at home March 8 against Cascade.
The 2007 season opens Monday, March 12, with a 5 p.m. home game against Coffee County.