Leadership change shouldn’t ruffle Midland team

After a 16-8 season that brought the Midland Mustangs to the first round of the state tournament in 2017, coach Dwain Roark has retired, and athletic director T.J. Pugh is ready to lead the Mustangs baseball team. This isn’t the first time Pugh has had to step in as baseball coach, and he said he is ready, since this wasn’t a complete surprise. “The baseball coach retired at the beginning of the year,” he said. “I’ve had to do this one other time — about six years ago.” One big thing the Mustangs have going for them in 2018 is a roster flush with returners. “We’ve got a lot of returning players,” Pugh said. “We expect to be very competitive.” Four seniors — Keagan Tharp, Logan Passmore, Eli Roberts and Tristan May — are going to be big players for the Mustang baseball team this year, the coach said. “We’ve got four seniors, and all four will contribute,” Pugh said. Other returners — including junior Austin McAdams, sophomore Eli Milam and junior Brandle Davidson — will also be important team members this year, the coach said. The Mustangs have a lot of freshmen on the team, and Pugh said he wants to use this year to develop them. “It’s been good for the JV kids,” he said of practices. “I’m waiting on basketball [to be over] to be able to get the older kids out there.” In a district like Midland, where students play multiple sports, it’s not uncommon for seasons to overlap. Pugh said he’s familiar with their athletic ability because of their involvement. “In fact, I’ve had a lot of the older ones in football,” he said. Even with all of the returners, Pugh said he has a deficit on the pitcher’s mound. “A concern for us is our pitching,” he said. “That’s an area we have to develop a little bit more.” Pugh said the games against Southside Bee Branch and Pangburn will be ones to watch. “The other games are important, too,” he said. “Trying to improve each week is important.”