Pitching to be key for Hartville success
The Hartville Eagles’ baseball team enter this spring after compiling a 14-4 record in a fall season that ended with a runner-up finish in the Summit Conference tournament.
Last spring, the Eagles finished just one game under .500 at 11-12.
A key to this year’s squad will be a pitching staff led by junior Gus Sinning.
“Gus has a dominant fastball and is able to keep hitters off balance,” said Hartville head coach Bradey Welsh.
Pitchers Truett Coryell and Heston Lowery will also eat up crucial innings for the Eagles.
“We rely on our pitchers to keep us in every game we play,” Coach Welsh said. “We have pitchers that are able to mix pitches and be in the strike zone. We can be successful this spring if our pitchers stay healthy and are consistent.”
The projected line-up features senior Gavin Stigall (SS); juniors Brock Jones (catcher), Gus Sinning (3B, P), Jacob Meglan (1B) and Truett Coryell (CF); sophomores Brodyn Hulsey (2B, 3B) and Hunter Walker (LF); along with freshman Cole Sinning (LF/RF).
Defensively, Coach Welsh said errors have kept this team from being the best they can be.
His focus for his team is to improve with every game they play and to be able to overcome adversity.
“If we have the mindset of wanting to get better and not letting the little things bother us, then we will set ourselves up for success,” he noted.
Two wins in Purdy
Hartville opened the season with a pair of wins on March 22 in the Purdy Tournament.
They will play in the championship game on Tuesday, March 25 just after press time.
They first shutout Southwest (Washburn), 2-0.
Gus Sinning tossed six and two-thirds innings of shutout ball, allowing two hits with 11 strikeouts and three walks. Stigall tossed a third of an inning and gave up just one hit.
Gus Sinning led the offense with two hits and two RBIs while both Maddox Jones and Lowery scored one run.
Hartville then scored five runs in the first and four in the fifth for a 9-4 win over Spokane in game two.
Lowery tossed six innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.
Brodyn Hulsey tossed a scoreless inning and gave up one hit.
Offensively, Maddox Jones and Hulsey each had one RBI and scored twice; Coryell had one RBI and scored one run; Meglan scored twice; both Cole Sinning and Lowery had one RBI; while Gus Sinning and Brock Jones both scored one run.