Experienced LFO looking to make noise in 6-AAA
The 2017 season was something of a frustrating one for the LFO Warriors, who went 12-17 overall and just 5-13 in Region 6-AAAA.
Even more frustrating was that six of those region setbacks came by two runs or less, including a 2-1 loss to powerhouse Calhoun that came down to a passed ball in the final inning.
But seventh-year head coach Johnny Burch has reason for optimism headed into the 2018 campaign as he called this year’s version of the Warriors the most athletic group he’d had.
“I’ve been pleased so far,” he said. “We had a great fall in the weight room and we’ve become a group that now has a lot of experience. We had a good scrimmage the (last Friday night) against Christian Heritage. Our pitchers threw strikes and we were pretty happy with that.
“We lost two inningeaters for us last year, so we’re trying to replace them with guys are strike-throwers. Hopefully, what we did in the scrimmage is a good indicator in that regard.”
Of the 10 players the Warriors have returning that started at some point during last season, seven of them are seniors and Burch said having all that experience back is a plus.
“Defensively and hitting-wise, we think (all that experience) will pay off,” he said. “It’s on the mound where it will be the tellall.”
Jarrett McAfee has a solid arm behind the plate and is an excellent defensive player. At first base, Jake Bass is a threeyear starter who will provide some pop at the plate and will likely chew up some innings on the mound. Even more experience can be found at shortstop where veteran Andrew Brock is set to begin his fourth year on the varsity squad. Burch believes that Brock is one of the better hitters in the entire area.
At the hot corner is Mathew Trusley, who could also play first if needed, but who will be effective on the mound as one of LFO’s top returning pitchers. Jackson Herrod has plenty of value as a utility player and could start at a number of different positions.
Bryce Donahoo will return to center field and has made significant improvements with the bat and with the glove, while Jacob Flanagan rounds out the senior class. Flanagan will likely play in left field once again this season while providing a good bat in the lineup.
The junior class has two players that saw
All-Region first team catcher Tanner Hill (.370, 2 HR, 12 RBIs), who will platoon behind the dish when not on the hill. At shortstop, Riley Harrison has a good swing at the plate and has increased his velocity on the mound, while left-hander Tyler Crawford is vying to earn a starting job at first base.
Seth Pitts is a versatile player that will also see time on the mound, while Austin McDaniel will pitch and play some third base for the Panthers. Gabe Ashley will be in the mix at third base and behind the plate when he’s not throwing innings and Ethan Hunt will add additional depth to the Panthers’ catching corps.
The rest of the junior class will all see the bulk of their action in the outfield. D.J. Ball, Ryan Frost and Shawn Wilson all have tremendous speed. Wilson is a returning starter, Frost helped out last year as a courtesy runner and will be a weapon on the basepaths once again, while Ball will also add depth to the pitching staff.
Baylor transfer Terrence Roberts, a standout with the Ridgeland football team this past fall, will play centerfield and give the Panthers incredible speed in the leadoff spot. Outfielder Drew Meade and first baseman Austin Ferguson will also see some time on the mound, while Lane Johnson, Timmy Hollister, Ben Gilley and Dylan Fowler will round out the sophomore class.
As for this year’s rookies, utility player Aiden Raymer is looking to earn some playing time, while left-hander Robert Jent is already throwing in the low-tomid 80’s and could see action on the mound this season.
“The strength of this team is the hard work that we put in this offseason to get prepared,” Harden said. “We have to understand our roles and understand what we have to do to be better than everybody else.”
The region will continue to be a tough one as both Heritage and Northwest Whitfield have Top 10-caliber teams. But Harden says his team could find itself in the mix for the state playoffs as long as they avoid giving up the big innings.
“That’s the nature of the beast in our region,” he added. “If you dig yourself a hole early, it’s hard to climb out of it with the talent we have in this region. You look at your team and you think you’ve got something special, then you look across the region and you see a team like Heritage, who has a kid that played for Team USA on it. Then you look at Northwest and they are the team that beat Heritage to earn the number one seed in our region last year.
“As the saying goes, in order to be the best, have to beat the best, and that’s truly the case in our region.”