Fresh off a solid season that featured a 15-10 record, fourth consecutive Putnam County baseball title and strong finish in conference play, the Greencastle baseball team is looking to bring that same success this spring to the diamond.
"What stands out to me was the fact that our guys came and worked hard each day to improve and used some of the low expectations that some had for our team to fuel them. There were some who assumed that it would be a down year for us since we graduated so much production from the previous season. So, it was nice to see our guys respond with the type of success that they had," Greencastle coach Benjamin Wells told The Putnam County Post.
The Tiger Cubs enter having to replace several quality players who graduated, including DJ Wells, who threw a lot of innings and Ben Huff, who solidified the outfield and middle of the batting order.
"The biggest hole to fill this season will be that left by Keifer Wilson. Having a senior catcher that you can trust, a guy that you can count on to get you 6-7 innings on the mound and who you know is going to produce big at the plate is tough to replace right away," Wells admitted.
Greencastle does bring back some returning starters this spring with Ethan Hamm, Chase Carrington, Owen Huff, Treyten Clark and Jaylen Bushong all back and Wells notes he has high expectations for those players.
Carrington, a senior infielder and pitcher, hit .260 last year with nine stolen bases, while Huff, a junior outfielder and pitcher, hit .362 with 25 hits, 16 stolen bases and threw 13 innings, recording 22 strikeouts. Clark, a sophomore pitcher and outfielder, hit .405 with 26 RBI's and 13 stolen bases and he recorded 53 strikeouts in 41 innings. Bushong, a sophomore outfielder and pitcher, hit .355 last year with 22 hits and 15 stolen bases.
"We also have some pretty talented freshmen that we expect to contribute from day one and think could help us win a lot of games," Wells said.
So how good will Greencastle be this year?
Wells says he believes his team has a lot of "upside."
"It is hard to put a number or limit on this team because we will have a lot of new guys coming in and people playing new positions. That said, we have a lot of really good young talent, guys that are versatile and guys who are true baseball players that really know the game. I expect this to be a really exciting and fun team to watch throughout the season," Wells said.
Wells said the main goal this season is the same as every year -- bring the bucket back to Greencastle.
"We have certain goals that we set as a team but we really try to focus on getting better everyday, working hard, being a good teammate and having players buy into what is being asked of them. If we can do those things, then more team success will follow. I am really looking forward to this season and getting the opportunity to coach this group," Wells said.
