The baseball season is underway and one thing is clear, the team is small. Only having 12 players, the Indians struggled to even field a team. This decline in numbers has been seen in all sports, but it’s most apparent in baseball. The reason may have been due to a lack of a teacher coach, something social studies teacher and assistant coach Jared Marshall aims to change.
“There are many reasons our numbers are low. One being there are lots of opportunities for our students to pursue other interests,” Marshall said. “I also believe not having a teacher on the coaching staff for many years has hurt the numbers. I believe having a familiar face in school and at practice can help recruit and get kids out to play.”
Despite the low numbers, the team still has a select few knowledgeable upperclassmen who are helping the less experienced players learn the fundamentals, one of whom is pitcher and first baseman Royce Lichtenberg.
“A lot of our guys don’t exactly know what they’re doing out there, so Kale, Westin and I just try to get them to understand that they need to ask questions. We’re just there to give them answers to hopefully make them better players,” Lichtenberg said.
For these younger or less experienced players, playing right away on the varsity level is very difficult. However, the coaches are putting in extra effort and time to make sure they build a foundation for these players.
“Knowing we are inexperienced, during practice we try to work on fundamentals as much as we can. We also spend time trying to practice different game situations, so we can learn and grow every day,” Marshall said.
This extra focus on the fundamentals has been paying off as underclassmen players such as freshman James Kallas have been making big leaps in their abilities.
“I just learned how to practice my swing and get it on time. Royce, Brodie, and Kale are helping me get better,” Kallas said.
Although there are skilled players on the baseball team, without numbers it’s very difficult to win. With pitchers only being allowed to throw 100 pitches, the absence of just one player can completely derail a game.
“Having limited numbers presents a lot of challenges, especially on game days. It impacts the depth we have for pitching, which is probably the biggest challenge. We also don’t have a lot of depth if we need to make a substitution or if we would have an injury,” Marshall said.
With the participation declining by 7 players from 2022, the baseball team is on a slippery slope; however, both the players and the coaches are open to help anyone who wants to join an exciting and welcoming sport.
“People should play baseball because it’s fun, there’s a good atmosphere, and we have two great coaches,” Lichtenberg said.