Baseball team views season optimistically
The Franklin Regional Varsity Baseball team has swung into their season with a record of 2-4.
According to Head Coach Robert Saddler, the team practices for two and a half hours daily, working on their hitting skills, as well as “fundamentals in the infield and outfield positions.”
They play 20 games and 2 scrimmages in the season, which runs from March 24 to May 10, and also had the opportunity to travel to Florida early in the season, where they played four games and two scrimmages.
After their season ends, the team will have the chance to compete in the WPIAL playoffs.
Last year, the team lost the playoffs to the eventual WPIAL champion Pittsburgh Central Catholic, according to Saddler.
This year, however, the team remains optimistic about their chance for success.
“I believe with the talent we have on this team, we can go as far as we want to go,” said senior pitcher Ben Ramey.
The team is made strong by their good leadership and team-first mentality, according to Saddler.
Though they excel defensively and on the pitching mound, the team still has work to do when it comes to hitting.
“Our hitting needs to improve from last season, but the players have bought into the approach that the coaches have set forth, and they have been working hard,” said Saddler.
To reign victorious in their season this year, the team must be committed and work together as a team.
“There are nine guys on the field at one time,” said Saddler, “and each guy needs to trust that the other players know their jobs and will execute them when called upon.”
Saddler is hopeful that the team will be successful in their season, as he has found that the hardest part of coaching is dealing with failure.
“When you have players that you deeply care for, you want them to go out on top, and that unfortunately didn’t happen last year,” said Saddler. “Hopefully, this season, we can have our senior class go out on top.”
Ramey believes that the team’s emotion, which can sometimes get the best of them, can also be a blessing.
“We are such an emotional team, but we can use our emotions to propel us to a section and WPIAL title,” said Ramey.
Photo Credit: Bismah Raza
