Young Bryant team seeks state-title run
The goal for the Bryant Hornets baseball team never changes. “Our goal is to always a win a state and national championship,” head coach Travis Queck said. “But to do that, you have to have the mental ability to prepare yourself and improve on yourself. “We are always competing with ourselves and doing whatever it takes to become national champions. We just want to continue to progress throughout the year.” Queck, who is in his second year as head coach, said the goals are accomplishable. “We have got some young guys who have to figure it out,” he said. “If they do, then yes, it is possible. “Otherwise, we are going to have some headaches along the way.” Queck said if they stumble, it won’t be because the guys aren’t trying. “Getting that experience is going to be the most important thing,” he said. Bryant finished 20-10 last year, losing to Cabot in the semifinals of the state tournament. “Offensively, I thought we had a good approach and did some good things on the mound, but we have to make better decisions,” Queck said. “Cabot had a first-round bye, and we had to play in the first round, so we were already behind the eight ball a little bit. “But we just ran out of pitching.” The coach said that for the Hornets to reach their goals this season, “we must establish depth on the mound and play solid defense throughout the season. “We have a few returners from last year’s semifinals team, and we look to build on that experience and the strength gained over the offseason.” Queck said Bryant was fairly young last year but did a good job. He said the players are trying to develop some things to turn some of last year’s losses into victories for this season. “We are trying to rebuild,” Queck said. “We’ve got to find some guys on the mound, but that’s every team in the state. We’ve got to roll it out there and get some kids in the right mindset.
“We have to develop some confidence in their game.” Returning to the mound this year are junior Will McEntire and senior Myers Buck. McEntire threw 23 1/3 innings last year with a 3.00 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 16 walks. Buck pitched in just 6 innings last year, allowing 9 runs (8 earned) on 10 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. “Both of those guys have worked extremely hard this offseason,” Queck said. “I am really excited to see how they do.” Leading the way offensively is returning starter senior Matthew Sandidge. He had a batting average of .380 with 9 RBIs, 13 runs scored, 1 home run and 5 stolen bases. Junior Coby Greiner returns after leading the Hornets with 30 RBIs in 2017. He also batted .322 with 10 runs scored. Junior Logan Chambers batted .337 with 21 RBIs, 12 runs scored and 1 home run. Queck said senior Scott Schmidt, who batted .228 last year, is a leader defensively. “I can’t remember him booting a baseball,” Queck said. “He has the surest glove and is an overall leader. “He plays as hard as he possibly can.” Sandidge, Chambers and Greiner make up the rest of the infield, but Queck said he will use some different combinations to see what works best. “There are some freshmen that may factor in,” he said. “Hopefully, sooner rather than later, they will figure out and see what they are capable of. “Thirty-seven of the 50 kids on our team are either sophomores or freshmen. So we are young, so it is pretty much a double-edged sword for us.”