Hawks aim to build onto last year’s success
A healthy mixture of youth and experience will be the ingredients that Pleasant Grove will use this season in hopes of another recipe for success.
The Hawks, who are coming off of a 35-4 season where they had a deep playoff run that ended in the state semifinals and have been in the postseason eight of the last 10 years, graduated 10 seniors from last year’s roster—including standout pitcher Caleb Bolden—and will look to some of their younger players to get back into the playoffs in this 2018 campaign.
“Going into the season, our team is excited about the opportunity to get a chance to play and compete every day against great competition,” Pleasant Grove head coach Riley Fincher said. “We have a good group of guys, some with varsity experience, and some first-year guys who will look to make an impact for us.”
Returning for Pleasant
Grove this year will be senior outfielder Carson Cox, junior catcher Keaton Russo, sophomore shortstop Jackson Cobb, junior pitcher Nick Voyles, junior outfielder Seth Hopkins, junior pitcher and infielder Ryan Galvan and senior pitcher and infielder Matthew Gilley.
Cox will be the guy who could become a difference-maker for the Hawks, and can also be a player who others look up to.
The Wichita State signee finished last season with a .333 batting average, 30 RBIs and had 11 extra-base hits. His aggressive base running also led to 11 stolen bases for the Hawks.
“Cox is a guy that will be a threeyear starter for us,” Fincher said. “He is doing a great job of stepping into that leadership role this season. We have seven returning lettermen who are doing a great job of leading by example —not only on the field, but in the classrooms as well.”
The senior will have plenty of backup, though.
Rosso hit .358 in the 2017 campaign, while driving in 24 runs and hit a home run, while teammate Cobb averaged .367 and crossed the plate 30 times. Voyles will be back on the mound and will look to build on last year’s success where he held down a 1.68 ERA.
“We have numerous guys that are capable of helping our team on a daily basis,” Fincher said. “Our job as a coaching staff is to get those guys in the right situations with the opportunities to succeed.”
Rich in tradition, Pleasant Grove has become a household name in Texas and that shouldn’t change this year despite its heavy loss in graduation.
“We have a good group this season,” Fincher said. “We will look to attack as a pitching staff and as an offensive team. Our guys have done a great job of playing unselfish as a team so far.”