Heritage counting on versatility, pitching depth
Going into his 13th season heading up the Heritage program, Eric Beagles says versatility will be a key component for the Generals as the team returns multiple starters who played multiple position during the shortened 2020 campaign.
“We are stressing versatility among the players because you can no longer say a player is a second baseman only,” he explained. “With today’s situation being what it is, you never know when you might be without a player or players, so that second baseman now might end up playing third base and vice versa.”
Beagles added that staying healthy is taking on add importance this time around, not just for injuries, but also due to the potential of virusrelated quarantines.
And with pitch count having become something coaches have to factor into game strategy, a team can never have too many arms and Beagles believes his team’s depth and quality on the mound are definite strengths.
Veteran seniors Caden Snyder, Cade Kiniry, C.J.
Robertson and Alex Mixon are expected to log plenty of innings for the Navy-andRed this season, while also helping to lead the Generals at the plate. Snyder, a recent Cleveland State signee, will play in the infield when not on the hill and Robertson, also an outfielder, is a future Lipscomb University
player. Kiniry will also see time in the outfield, while Mixon is a catcher that can also play other spots on the infield, if needed.
The rest of the senior class features outfielders Dylan Bryan and Gabe Serrano, along with infielder Noah Johnson. Bryan is a returning starter.
Junior Cannon Stafford will also log innings behind the plate and will see some time on the infield, while fellow junior J.T. Eaton will see most of his time at first base. The class also features pitcher/ outfielder Hayden Hall and pitcher/infielder Mike Stokes.
Among the sophomores, J.J. Hunt, Zach Barrett and
Landon Skeen have prior pitching experience and will be counted on again this season. Hunt and Barrett are also infielders, while Skeen and fellow sophomore Eli Totherow will provide depth in the outfield.
The rest of the sophomore contingent rounds out the roster. That group includes infielder/catcher Johnathan Glover, outfielders Payton Newman and Gage Shaver, first baseman Taylor Vinson and infielder Garrison May. Glover, Shaver, Vinson and May are also capable of taking the mound.
Beagles said he and his staff of assistant coaches David Dinger, Cody Lones and Stephen Gaylor are stressing fundamentals on a daily basis, even to a team with a good deal of returning experience.
“Just because you have experience, (it) doesn’t guarantee success,” he explained. “For us to reach our goals of our program, we are going to need to do the ‘little things’ correctly, consistently and compete. (We have to) compete on the mound, in the box, on the bases and on defense. Obviously, guys will have roles for us and the more they work on those roles, the more success we can have as a team.”
Beagles also added that the Generals “need to have the right approach to the different phases of the game”, adding that the right attitude, the proper intensity and mental and physical toughness, will be additional keys for his team this season.