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Fairhope Baseball Is In
The Limelight
By ROBERT LADNIER -
Mobile Press-Register Sports Reporter
Fairhope,
AL (February 14, 2010) -- Entering the 2010 season, all
eyes are focused on the Fairhope High baseball team after
the Pirates finished 33-11 overall and advanced to the state
quarterfinals last year.
"I don't think anybody's being
complacent," Fairhope coach Stu Fuller said. "You are only
as good as what you are the day you show up. The guys have
worked hard under the circumstances of the preseason and our
assistant coaches have stepped up and worked them hard."
Fairhope will host the first
round of the Hank Aaron Tournament and will face Spanish
Fort at Volanta Park at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Seven seniors are on the squad
this year, including Daryl Norris, Garrett Pitts, Kaleb
Naseman, Cody Etheridge, Ashton Johnson, J.D. Wilson and
Corey Staab.
Five starting field positions
are back with Wes Kent returning to third base, Evan East at
catcher, Pitts at shortstop, Norris at first base and junior
Peyton Fuller at second.
"It all depends on the pitching
because we will still have that rotation there, depending on
who's throwing and who threw last," coach Fuller said.
The coach believes the team was
lacking in pitching last year.
"At times it was the pitching,
with inexperience and youth on the mound," Fuller said.
"That is something that has got to be earned and hopefully
we have earned enough to be better."
The mound should not be an issue
this year, featuring Norris (8-3) and Peyton Fuller (6-0).
"I think our pitching is a
little bit ahead of where it was last year," coach Fuller
said. "We've got 31 of our 33 wins back and it's good to
have all that experience back.
"We've also got Staab, Ashton
Johnson and Cody Etheridge (four wins, five saves) coming
back out of the bull pen. We also use Evan East to close and
will bring him out from behind the plate if Cody is unable."
At the plate, the Pirates expect
to have good firepower once again.
"We've got a lot of at-bats
back, a lot of home runs and RBIs back and we should be able
to swing the bats OK," Fuller said. |
