Coach says Newport ready for change, to small
The Newport baseball team is focused on three things this year — pitching, defense and its hitting approach. “Small ball, if you will, focusing on bunting and hitting gap to gap,” Newport head coach David Smith said. “More so with the defense and the pitching.” Newport finished 3-19 last year, and Smith said a lot of games came down to one inning. “I felt like we would be competitive in a game, but then one inning, we would blow up,” Smith said. “Pitchers weren’t able to hit their spots, pitch count got high, and we made errors defensively. “So we went through a bunch of lumps throughout the year.” Smith, who is in his second year at Newport, said the biggest challenge is changing his players’ mentality. “They are tired of losing,” Smith said. “We are ready to change that. We are ready to change the perception of Newport baseball throughout the state.” Newport won only two games in 2016. “The culture wasn’t there; they didn’t think they could win,” Smith said. “We want to change that mentality. “They just expected to lose.” Part of that change includes the small-ball approach at the plate. “It is a challenge, because they are not used to bunting,” Smith said. “That’s not their mentality. They want to hit.” He said the guys that he needs to bunt have been very receptive. “They have worked hard to make it happen,” he said. “I have seen improvements, even in the guys who don’t ever bunt.
“They are working hard with whatever I ask them to do.” Returning starters from last year include juniors Cash Forrester, Conner Prince, Julius Clark and J.T. Haynes. Smith described Forrester as his ace, but Smith said he doesn’t have anybody who is “going to blow you away on the mound.” “Cash has good control and can hit his spots,” Smith said. “His change-up is his best pitch, in my opinion. “He controls the mound. We will go as far as Cash can go.” Clark tops out at 71 to 73 mph with his fastball but has a decent curveball, Smith said. “He is a bulldog and a competitor,” the coach said. “If he can get to the point where he can locate his pitches, he is going to be somebody to worry about.” Smith said Haynes doesn’t have anything overpowering, but he does a great job setting up his pitches. “He has one of the best-looking curveballs that I have ever seen,” Smith said. Junior Lucky Loftis and freshman Chris Reynolds will get some time on the mound this year as well, but both are in basketball right now. “We haven’t gotten them worked up yet, and I have never seen them pitch in a game situation,” Smith said. “But Chris is a tall kid, and I love those kinds of guys in pitchers. “He has a lot of growing to do, but I could see him being very dominant the next couple of years.” Smith described Loftis as gritty and willing to do whatever is needed of him. “He gets out there and works hard,” Smith said. “Lucky, Julius, J.T., Chris and Chase Prince will play key roles in playing multiple spots. “I trust them to make the plays at any position they are put at.” Smith said that in order for the lineup to produce, Newport is going to need people like Forrester, Prince and Austin Winemiller to contribute. “They are the muscle in the middle that has the potential to hurt some teams,” Smith said. “However, the heartbeat of this lineup will come from guys at the top and bottom of the lineup. “Their ability to get on base will put much needed pressure on opposing teams.” Clark, Haynes and sophomore Clemmie Alcon pose the biggest threat on the bases. “They have a lot of speed,” Smith said. “They all play football, and they work out well out there for us. We are going to count on them heavily. Julius led the team with stolen bases, and J.T. was right behind him. “The numbers and stuff from last year aren’t going to be equivalent to what we are going to do this year.” Smith said that last year, Newport had a lot of holes in the lineup and defensively, but the additions made to the team should fill those gaps. “The more pressure the [opposing] pitcher has on them coming from the base paths, the more likely he will make a mistake to the guy at the plate,” Smith said. “Runs are the goal. We have to find ways to get them on, get them over and get them in.” Smith said he wants to build a foundation and improve on it from game to game. “We want to continue to grow and get better as a team and as players,” he said. “We expect to play the game with respect and integrity and earn the respect from others that has been lost. “We expect to play hard and compete in every game.”