Hornets coach counts on team leadership to shore up hive

After finishing 20-11 in 2017, the Maumelle Hornets will enter the 2018 season with new talent but a less experienced team than last year. Coach Barrett Davis, who has a career record of 110-66, said he will look to seasoned players to provide the developing team with direction. “We are young and not very experienced in some spots, but we also have good leadership and a good work ethic,” Davis said. “As a coach, I am excited to get started and watch these guys compete.” Davis, who has coached the team for seven years, may be banking on the team’s four returning starters to lead the greenhorn Hornets. Returning to the team are senior right-handed pitcher Conner McCullough, senior right-handed pitcher Andrew Howard, junior right-handed pitcher Brody Ammons and sophomore Ethan Cash. Whether he is hitting or pitching, McCullough is a force to be reckoned with, and Davis said the senior has one of the best arms on the team. Ammons will undoubtedly study McCullough this year as the junior prepares to take the role of top pitcher next year, the coach said. After graduation, McCullough will begin his college career at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Howard, who excels as both a fielder and a hitter, is also making his final lap around the high school diamond this year, Next season, he will lend his powerful arm to the Reddies at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. Other seniors include outfielder and right-handed pitcher Trevion Tucker, center and first baseman Karson Pawelczak, and right-handed pitcher Dillon Telford. Along with freshman Carlito London, Tucker is one of the swiftest players on the team, Davis said, adding that Pawelczak is a formidable slugger. In addition to Ammons, the team’s juniors include right-handed pitcher Zach Burrough, left-handed pitcher Ty Anderson and righthanded pitcher Eli Young. As an up-and-coming leader, Cash has shown his skills as a phenomenal fielder, as well as a reliable hitter, Davis said, and fans might also do well to keep tabs on sophomore Preston Lee, who has established himself as a dependable player in the outfield. Davis said he most looks forward to the match at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock on March 27, when he expects the Bruins to bring their A game to the match. “They are a talented team that is coached well,” he said. “It is usually a fun game to watch.”