Veterans, rookies looking to mix it up for Ramblers
It sounds strange to say a high school baseball team with eight seniors could still be considering “young”, but that description sort of fits the bill for the 2017 LaFayette Ramblers.
Fifth-year head coach Mike Shank does have veterans on his club, but he will also be relying heavily on some younger players to fill some key starting spots as the Orange-and-Black get set to do battle in Region 6-AAAA.
“With the youth we have mixed in with the seniors, we’re going to have to get hot at the right time,” Shank said. “Teams (in our region) like Heritage, who are strong, can practically punch their ticket to the playoffs just with their strengths. But with a team like ours, we’re going to have to fight for everything we get.
“We’ll need to get on a hot streak and win the games we have to win to have a chance to squeeze into one of those four (state) playoff spots.”
Of the seven LaFayette players that made the Walker County Dream Team in 2016, only two return to this year’s club and both were honorable mention picks.
One of those is seniors Logan Teasley, who will pitch and play some shortstop and third base for the Ramblers this season, while leading off in the batting order. The other, senior Chase Smith, got a shot at second base midway through last season and became a pleasant surprise for Shank and the Ramblers, cementing his spot at the position this spring.
The rightfield post will be manned by veteran senior Chase Elliott, who will bat in the No. 2 spot. On the other side of the garden will be leftfielder Mason Wilson, who is hoping some past injuries are being him as his senior year arrives.
The rest of the senior class includes Caleb Trammell, who will pitch and be one of LaFayette’s primary
designated hitters. Jarrett Hartline and John Shields will give the outfield some depth and Caleb Boyd is beginning his first season with the club. He will see the bulk of his playing time at first base.
“It’s a good group,” Shank said of his seniors. “Most of them have been together since middle school and they really work well together. Hopefully they can set a good example for the younger kids.”
A small junior class includes catcher Brady Anderson, already off to a fast start at the plate in the early part of the season, and pitcher/ infielder A.J. Buck. Both will be counted on heavily this season.
The future of the LaFayette baseball program is now for a large sophomore class, many of whom will be key cogs in the lineup.
Left-handed pitchers Ethan Stephenson and Ty Fisher will both see a lot of innings, while Stephenson will also play some in centerfield. John James is a utility infielder that also pitches, while Jack Martin, a solid hitter, is penciled in at first base.
Blake Guffey is pushing Anderson for playing time behind the dish. Andrew Pendergrass, an athletic three-sport standout, will pitch and play in the outfield, while the class is rounded out by an other pair of outfielders in Landon Rayburn and Colton Lane.
Among the freshmen looking to have an impact on the varsity club this season is outfielder/pitcher Trent Currie, along with a pair of utility infielders in Levi Pettigrew and Anniston Mann, who can also pitch.
“It’s going to be a pretty young (pitching) staff,” Shank explained. “The sophomores kind of lead our rotation. We do have a couple of seniors in Teasley and Trammell, but really the bulk of our staff is sophomores this year.”
“Still, I think pitching is our strength. I think we’re probably about like everyone else right now. Most everyone is always a little behind at this point when it comes to swinging the bats, but even with our youth, I think pitching is a strong suit for us.”
LaFayette is off to a 2-1 start on the season, entering this week’s game and Shank believes his team is right on schedule for where he thought they would be.
“We had some days off from school with all the kids being sick and that kind of set us back a couple days of practice,” he said. “We ended up missing our (preseason) scrimmage that week because of it, but all in all, I think we’re in a pretty good place at this point in the season.”