Heritage nine are banking on versatility
After graduating the most successful and decorated senior class in program history in 2018, many people expected the Heritage Generals to fall back to the rest of the pack last spring.
But that necessarily didn’t happen. While Heritage’s record topped out at 17-15 on the season, the Navyand-Red still went 13-5 in Region 6-AAAA, good enough for them to finish second in the league standings and earn a first-round playoff series.
Their playoff appearance was a short one as they lost a pair of very close 4-2 games to a very good Flowery Branch club. However, the Generals hope to use that playoff appearance as a momentum builder and a springboard for what could be another promising season in 2020.
“We had a couple of games that came back to bite us in the region standings, but to be there and in contention again (for a region title) is what we shoot for,” said longtime Heritage skipper Eric Beagles. “Now we’re getting ready to start over again and we’re excited about what we have coming back.
“We’ve got four seniors returning and a huge junior class. Many of those juniors ended up playing last year as sophomores, so that experience will definitely help them and pay dividends for us.”
On a team full of versatile players, perhaps no class is as versatile as the Generals’ senior contingent of Pete Padgett, Ethan Lovell, Camden Quails and Nolan Dietz.
Padgett has seen innings behind the plate, on the mound, in the outfield and at corner infield during his prep career, while Lovell can both play on the infield or in the outfield. Quails is a multi-position utility infielder, while Dietz, a transfer from Baylor, can catch or play either one of the corner infield spots.
Beagles also has high hopes for a large junior class that includes second baseman Caden Snyder, first baseman/outfielder Nick Hanson, catcher/infielder Alex Mixon, outfielders Cade Kiniry, Dylan Bryan, Gabe Serrano and C.J. Roberson, a one-time Heritage Middle School player who has returned to Boynton. Trey Faulkner, a pitcher, rounds out the group, while Snyder, Hanson, Mixon, Kiniry and Roberson will all add depth to the pitching rotation.
Mixon, who had a .377 average and 29 RBIs a year ago, was an AllRegion first team pick at the end of last season and one of five returning players that batted .300 or better for Heritage in 2019. That list also includes Snyder (.346, 1 HR, 16 RBIs), Kiniry (.320, 15 RBIs), Hanson (.300, 13 RBIs) and sophomore outfielder Ryan Heet (.300, 10 RBI), who was one of the club’s top designated hitters last year.
Heritage should also be ahead of the game on the mound as they bring back three experienced starters from a season ago.
Hanson was an honorable mention All-Region pick a year ago after going 4-1 with a 4.23 ERA in 44.2 innings of work. Kiniry threw 46 innings a year ago, winning three games with a 4.41 ERA, while Mixon won twice on the mound with a team-best 1.69 ERA. He averaged a strikeout per inning in 20.2 innings of work.
In addition to Heet, the rest of this year’s sophomore class includes outfielders Hayden Hall and Josh Apple. Hall, a lefty, will see time on the mound. Mike Stokes will also do some pitching and play on the infield. J.T. Eaton can play first base or catch and Cannon Stafford will be back to add depth behind the plate. Stafford saw limited action last year before undergoing a season-ending surgery.
Beagles added that one of the biggest keys for this year’s team will be consistency.
“It all starts on the mound,” he began. “As long as we are competitive there, that’s the biggest hurdle. From there, it’s going to be on the defensive side. With so many of these guys being able to play multiple positions, it’s going to give us some options, especially in the infield. When we start making some of those adjustments, we have to be able to stay consistent through them. That’s going to be (another) key for us, especially early on when were having to piece games together like everybody does. How they are able to play those positions is going to be huge for us.”