FC teams step up to plate
By Bart Moss / For the FCT
Spring is in the air, and for sports fans, that means it’s time to buy some peanuts and Cracker Jacks and root, root, root for the home team. It’s time for baseball.
Belgreen Bulldogs
Clint Isbell said he wants to instill the same attitude on the baseball diamond that he has instilled on the basketball court. He wants the Belgreen Bulldogs to expect to be a playoff team every year.
Returning starters Payton Scott, Seth Taylor, Jake Taylor and Jacob Mayberry to lead the charge.
“Expect us to come to the field every day and work hard to get better every day,” said Isbell. “We want to be a playoff team year in and year out.”
The Bulldogs finished just below .500 last year with a 9-11 record and 4-4 in area play.
Isbell will rely on his wealth of senior leadership this year to make a playoff push.
“We have six seniors returning as starters who will be the core of our offense,” said Isbell. “We have good senior play defensively, and we should be solid up the middle.”
The Bulldog pitching rotation is expected to be made up of Luke Henson, Seth Taylor and Payton Scott.
Phil Campbell Bobcats
The past two years, the Phil Campbell Bobcats’ Achilles heel in the playoffs has been the Mars Hill Panthers. If the Bobcats are going to get past the Panthers this year, they are going to rely on pitching and defense.
The Bobcats lost five everyday-starters from last year’s team, and Coach Jonathan Raper is going to be looking for some young players to step up and fill the void.
“We have a good core group of players coming back we can build around,” said Raper. “Most of them have been starters for several years. They are hard workers and good leaders for our younger players.”
One of those seniors Raper will be relying on will be UNA signee Peyton Thomas. Thomas, a fixture on the varsity baseball team for five years, will provide the offensive spark the team needs. Thomas batted .457 last year with 12 home runs, 12 doubles and 33 RBIs. Because of his offensive power, many teams chose to put him on base; he drew 29 walks and struck out only nine times.
When not leading the pitching rotation, Thomas will anchor the infield at shortstop.
“I feel like we have a chance to have a competitive team,” said Raper. “Our pitching and defense will be our strengths. We will probably have the most team speed we’ve had in a while.”
The Bobcats also return Joe Hardy at catcher. Hardy had 29 hits and 27 RBI last year. Brody Nix will return as the designated hitter/right fielder. Nix batted .306 with 22 RBI and scored 29 runs. Freshman Ridge Raper returns as a starter at second base. Raper batted .283 last year, scoring 12 runs; he will also be part of the Bobcats’ pitching rotation this year. Mike Wrona returns as the Bobcats’ center fielder.
Rounding out the Bobcats rotation on the mound will likely be Chase Hutchens and Nate Owens.
Red Bay Tigers
The Red Bay Tigers missed a chance at the playoffs last year, and Coach Richard Maggerise’s team is itching to get back in the hunt. Coming off a 14-17 season last year, Maggerise said he feels like he has the right mix to make a run.
“We have a good mix of both young and older talent,” said Maggerise. “This group has really come together during the preseason and gelled as a team. We will have to get some good leadership and production for our upperclassmen.”
Two of the older guys Maggerise will be relying on are Hayden Murray and Kolby Bragwell. Murray will return as a starting pitcher and shortstop. He batted .344 last season. Bragwell also returns on the mound for the Tigers and will hold down the hot corner at third base when not on the mound. Bragwell batted .375 last year.
Other returning starters Maggerise will depend on are center fielder Luke Rooker, left fielder Max Bullen, right fielder Skylar Brazil and pitcher and first baseman Chase Allen.
Red Bay will have to replace some solid players from last year. Maggerise will be looking to Kaleb Bragwell, Kaleb Sims, Zac Humphres, Alex Burroughs and Cade McKinney.
Tharptown Wildcats
Rebuilding a program from the ground up is sometimes a long and arduous journey, but Tharptown coach Shannon Benford said he likes the challenge, and he likes his team.
“We are extremely young,” said Benford. “We have some good young talent coming up, and they are going to be tested this year.”
Benford will be playing a varsity schedule with mostly eighth- and ninth-graders. Carson Petree, a junior, is the elder statesman on the team.
“We do not have a senior on the team,” Benford said. “We only have one junior and two sophomores. Our season will depend on how these young guys adapt to playing on the varsity level. Our goal this year is to get better every single day.”
Other than Petree, the Wildcats return starters Britton Kennemore (sophomore) Jayden Mitchell (freshman) and Hunter White (freshman).
Vina Red Devils
Jake Ward enters his second season as the head coach of the Vina Red Devils. In his first season, Ward’s team went 13-13 and made the first round of the playoffs, falling to Spring Garden. If Ward is going to replicate or improve on last year’s performance, he will have to rely on a younger crop of talent.
“This year’s team will have to count on a lot of the younger guys to step up,” said Ward. “There are three seniors that are going to have to lead the team in the right direction.”
Those three seniors are catcher/first baseman Austin Childers (.361 average, 29 RBIs), pitcher/infielder Austin Harper (.350 average, 18 runs, 13 stolen bases) and pitcher/infielder Blake Hardin (.305 average, 15 walks).
Vina also returns multipurpose player Jacob Lewis (.415 average, 23 runs scored) and Jackson Landers, who earned an everyday position halfway through last year’s season. Landers had eight stolen bases.
“One great thing about this year’s team,” explained Ward, “Is their eagerness to learn every day. All I can ask for is that they give 110 percent day in and day out. If they continue to compete and get better every time they step on the field, then we will have the foundation they need to become successful.”
