Funny how much difference a year (albeit a shortened one) of seasoning can make. “We are definitely a more experienced team than we were a year ago,” observed Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn head baseball coach Jeremy Gloden. “We also return 61 innings pitched on the mound, which I think will help tremendously.”
The Hawks feature seven returning starters: seniors Sam Heyn, Ben Haack and Dawson Schiphoff, juniors Keith DeBoer, Keaton Graves and Jordan Ortega, and sophomore Trenton Vollink. One additional player who lettered was junior Nick Bronstad. Freshman Jacob Cates started three games before getting hurt last summer. The other members of the team are junior Wyatt Borden, sophomores Ethan Diehm, Lucas Kroese, Jonathan Ortiz, Tanner Tesch and Tyson Tessum, freshman Bradley Van Beek and eighth grader Jack Mastbergen. Gloden is assisted by Korey Ebel and Terry Heyn.
“With seven returning starters, I have a good idea of who is playing where,” remarked Gloden. “Dawson, Trenton and Keith will be in the outfield. Wyatt joined the team this year and is another outfielder that has shown some good things as well.”
Moving to the infield, the coach continued, “Keaton will be at third base, Sam is at shortstop, Ben will be at second and Nick has done a nice job of taking over at first base. Jacob came on as our primary catcher last year as an eighth grader until he was injured. He is healthy again and looks to be a solid force behind the plate. Jacob has also been swinging it well at the plate.”
Gloden threw another player into the mix, adding, “Jordan is going to be a utility guy for us and has done a nice job of buying into the role. He will be either at shortstop, center field, or left field when he isn’t on the mound. It depends on who else is pitching at the time.”
Speaking of pitching, it’s an aspect of this HMS team that the coach will be relying on. “I think pitching will be a strong point for us,” stated Gloden. “I look for Sam and Jordan to be a 1-2 punch on the mound. They were our top two guys last year and have a lot of experience. I trust both of them in big time situations.”
There will be more arms needed and the Hawks have them. “Dawson has really worked on his pitching this offseason and will see more innings,” said the coach. “Ben has also looked good and will be in the mix as well. I also see Jacob, Nick, Tyson and Tanner seeing some mound time at some point.”
Gloden added, “So far, I have been really impressed with our pitching and our defense. Our defense has been very solid and our pitchers have looked strong. Again, this comes with experience and consistency.”
That consistency develops through practice. The coach was asked last week how the practices and scrimmages have been going. “It is funny how you forget how busy things used to be after what we experienced last year,” commented Gloden. “We have only had about two practices with the entire team together. That has been a little stressful. That is why the two scrimmages we have had have been so beneficial. They have allowed us to work out some kinks and be able to try guys at different positions. That is also why having so many guys back is also helpful. The guys know what is expected and know what is going on.”
There have been additional benefits coming from the pre-season work. “We have also been trying to develop a couple utility guys — guys that we can plug in wherever we need them,” said the coach. “And one thing we continue to focus on is hitting and being more aggressive on the bases. Being able to get guys on base, move them over and eventually get them home will be a big key in how successful we are this season. We’re looking for more contact and consistency at the plate.”