The Solanco baseball team surprised some people last season. This year, the Mules are embracing their role as section and league title contenders. "This is the year we have really high expectations," Solanco coach Tom Fish said. "Last year we didn't and we had a good season (13-9 with a playoff win). This year we expect to win our section and several playoff games. We know we'll have to get by Ephrata and Elizabethtown will have a good team. We're trying to keep a balance between not being overconfident but also not taking a backseat to anybody, either."
Solanco returns 14 players with varsity experience. A potentially-outstanding pitching staff will feature senior Zack Leonard. The league all-star was 6-2 with a 1.80 ERA last year and recorded 75 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings. "We expect great things from him," Fish said. The Mules have the luxury of five other pitchers Fish knows he can count on. Senior Darren Rutledge could fill the number two spot in the rotation. "Darren has really looked good so far," Fish said. "He's throwing harder and he's spotting his off-speed pitches." Damon Kreider, Matt McCarriston, and Brady Thomas are each capable of pitching while Caleb Groff can help as either a starter or reliever. The staff will be backed up by a stellar defense. "We will have an incredible defensive team," said Fish. "Our outfielders can all run down the ball and our infield is real sharp." Eric Lefevre returns to handle the catching chores. "We expect Eric to bump up his batting average and continue to do a nice job behind the plate," said Fish. Nolan Quinn comes up from JV to serve as the backup. First base will depend on who is pitching with Rutledge, Leonard, and Corey Neff each expected to see action. Sophomores Joe Murray and Thomas will play up the middle with Thomas likely to play second base as he did last season and Murray at shortstop. Murray joined the varsity last year after an injury to the starter and did a solid job at shortstop. "We expect them to take the next step and establish themselves," Fish said. Groff will handle the hot corner. "He really improved last year," said Fish. "It's the toughest position to play in high school and he does a nice job." Fish's toughest decisions come in the outfield. "I've been coaching high school baseball for 10 years and I've never seen a team have seven outfielders who would start for 90 percent of the teams in the county," said Fish. "It's a good problem and a bad problem." Kreider will play centerfield. "He has a fantastic glove," the coach said. Sophomore Bailey Keys displayed a strong bat after joining the varsity team midway through last season. Seniors Karson Beane, Roy Ingerson, and James Rohrer and juniors Tag Heff and Tony Rambo are fighting for time on a day-to-day basis," Fish said. "I've coached these guys for three years in the spring and in the summer and I love them all," Fish said. "They are all hard workers and it's going to be difficult to make these decisions. We'll see how it shakes out. Guys who aren't in the lineup can help us defensively and as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter." Comments are closed.
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