“Strength up the middle” is the calling card of successful teams at every level of baseball, from Little League on up.
And the Fox Warriors are counting on it to help the program reach double digits in wins for the fifth straight season under head coach Neil Richardson.
The Warriors endured three consecutive seven-win seasons before reaching 11 in 2013. Since then they have posted 14-, 11- and 10-win campaigns, going 10-12 last year.
Richardson, starting his 11th spring at the helm, looks to a strong threesome of junior catcher Matt Bitter, senior second-baseman Josh Shoemaker and senior center fielder Caleb Hill to help keep the Warriors competitive again this year. Bitter, a varsity starter since his freshman year, could also see time at his original position, shortstop.
“Those three guys are absolutely key to our whole season,” Richardson said. “They have to perform offensively for us to be successful. Caleb came on really well in center last year. He’s a very solid, strong kid, with a great deal of athletic ability. So you can point to him as another kid we have to get offense from, both as a senior and one of the captains of our team. All three of them play up the middle, so they’re our core guys.”
Shoemaker led Fox in runs batted in a year ago with 15, while batting .383. Bitter hit .358 and drove in 10 runs while Hill posted a .294 average.
The coach added that he wants to see those leaders build on the consistency they showed a year ago. “We need to capture that,” he said. “Key guys used to having success need to take the younger guys and lead the way. Josh, Matt and Caleb need to show how it’s done in the Suburban West (Conference).”
As for the rest of the lineup, it will be a work in progress.
“We’ve got four or five key guys who are returning,” Richardson noted. “Then you try to blend in 10 or 11 who haven’t had a lot of experience at the varsity level.
“That’s not great, but it’s a start.”
Senior returnee Brett Fisher hit .348 last year after missing the start of the season with an injury. “We need him to duplicate and improve on that,” Richardson said. “(Senior) Ryan LaPlante was big for us down the stretch as a DH, and he might be at first base this year. And (sophomore) Sean Cleary is a pretty solid hitter who has a chance to be a jack-of-all-trades and find his niche on the team. That could be at catcher, middle infield, or he could play a little outfield, too. Tommy Benner and Alex McKay (both juniors) are battling for the starting third base position.”
The Warrior pitching staff will look different with the departure via graduation of Travis Turnbough, who went 5-5 last season, recording half of the team’s wins. That makes senior Brandon Hill (2-5 last year) the veteran of the mound men.
“Brandon is certainly the leader as a third-year starter,” the coach said. “He’s very capable of stepping in, taking over for Travis and leading the staff as another team captain. Shoemaker, Fisher and (senior) Braden Daugherty will figure into the pitching mix. And we have a couple of young guys, Ryan Price and Bret Berry, both juniors who could develop into fine arms.
“John Cobb (a junior) has worked really hard and could get some innings for us. (Junior) Brenden Wheeler could also factor in, or he could figure in at second if we have Shoemaker on the mound.
“We’ve got probably as much pitching depth as I’ve ever had in my 11 years. Benner has one of the better arms on the team, and Bitter has worked on trying to be a pitcher. He could be a relief guy, or a closer.”
Richardson added that while his pitching staff “can get it done,” the bats have to come through.
“Last year, we couldn’t get runners around in key situations. And the year before that, we didn’t score runs, but had great pitching. We’ll have to come through offensively to relieve the pressure on our pitching and defense. You do that by getting leads and letting your pitching staff take it from there.”
The Warriors opened their season at home Wednesday, after the Leader deadline, against Affton, and visit Hazelwood Central Friday. Their annual rivalry game against Seckman is set for Thursday, May 4 at Fox, the second of five consecutive home games to close out the regular season.