|
Gulf Shores Baseball
Young, But Talented
By DANIEL BOYETTE -
Mobile Press-Register Sports Reporter
Gulf Shores,
AL (February 14, 2010) -- In order to win its third area
title in four years, Gulf Shores will need a number of young
players to step up and play key roles.
The Dolphins, who went 19-13
last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs,
expect underclassmen to start at several positions.
"We're going to be a very, very,
young, inexperienced team. But, I think we've got some
really good players," said veteran GSHS coach Donnie Spohn.
"We're going to have to change our philosophy a little bit
about how we do things; in the past, we could wait on a big
inning, now we're going to have to create some runs early."
Collin Blankenship, a South
Alabama signee, returns as Gulf Shores' No. 1 pitcher and
one of the Dolphins' primary threats at the plate. Last
year, the senior went 6-3 with a 1.36 ERA and 39 strikeouts
while hitting .369 with four home runs, three triples and 25
RBIs.
"I think he stacks up to anybody
around," Spohn said.
Others that will see time on the
mound include seniors Ryan Hadley, who led the team in wins
last season, Kevin Kelso and Cody Edwards; junior Braydon
Bateman; and freshman Brandon Davis and Brooks Mason.
Also being counted on to produce
at the plate will be Kelso, the primary first baseman who
batted cleanup last season; Bateman (infield), Clay Gates
(outfield), Garrett Carter (outfield) and Brian Johnston
(outfield).
"The biggest thing is we left a
lot of runners on base last year," Spohn said. "We didn't
score when we had scoring opportunities and that's what
we're focusing on leading into that first week of games."
Freshman Brandon Davis and
junior Zach Allinder will split time behind the plate.
Junior James Fuller will see time in the infield and
sophomore Alec Sazapiel will play both in the infield and
outfield.
"It's a great group of kids, and
I think it's going to be a good year for us," Spohn said.
Gulf Shores opens the season in
the Hank Aaron Classic at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Foley. |
