The Bulldogs and Jackets baseball programs start back next week.
The Rockmart High School baseball team had a big year in 2017, and though lost a few of their top players to graduation are coming back swinging for the fences in 2018.
The Jackets return to play this with another loaded regular season schedule with a target in their back, and for good reason: their 30- game schedule is tough.
Head coach Kenny Yanzetich returns to lead a talented roster for the 2018 season loaded with a lot of juniors with a pair of good years notched on their belts, and one particular man on the mound who has proven time and again he can get things done: Kole Holder.
Holder, who will be graduating after this season, is one of only two senior on the 15-man roster, with outfielder Austin Kellogg filling the other spot in the pair. But they’ve got a lot of juniors to back them up on both sides of the bat, with Jonathan Suppes returning to help on the mound and take up infield roles, Logan Shelton also taking on pitching and outfield duties, and trading off between first and mound work will be Griffin Pace and Luke Queen.
Noah Hughes and Sam Sanders will be working together again in the outfield for their junior seasons, and Dylan Bailey will take up a spot on third or behind home plate depending on who is up to pitch.
He’ll be sharing duties with sophomore Brayden Cole, who will also be pitching as well.
One thing Yanzetich won’t have to worry about is not having enough pitching around to help out Holder in late innings should he decide to give his arm a rest for coming games.
Joining the junior pitching staff already made up of Suppes, Shelton, Pace and Queen include sophomores Cody Parramore and Ty Floyd and Evan Ratcliff as well as Cole.
In fact about the only sophomore who won’t be pitching this year is CJ Culver, who is designated for outfield work this season.
Another note for this year is that Yanzetich’s roster doesn’t include any freshmen on the team as they get ready to start the 30- game season, at least based on what was available online at press time.
Rockmart kicks off the season this coming Monday, Feb. 12, on the road at Cass with a 5:30 p.m. start, followed by their home opener hosting Paulding County next Tuesday, Feb. 13.
The Jackets then head on Friday t o Cedartown to play the first of two games against their cross-county rival, before a Feb. 19 trip to Woodland then host Thomasville on Feb. 23, and a double header at home against Heard and Rabun Counties on Feb. 24.
Rockmart rounds out the month by hosting the Bulldogs for a rematch showdown on Feb. 27.
The Jackets may be the team to beat after winning a region championship and making it all the way Columbus and the Final Four round of games against Jeff Davis before falling to the eventual state champions foe 2017. They finished the 2016 season while still in AAA with a 20-9 record and fished behind then region rival Cedartown in second place before heading into the playoffs.