John Burgi begins his fourth year at the helm of the Hollister Tigers baseball program.
His team will be looking to improve on last year’s 14-12 record with eight returning lettermen in the lineup. After reaching the district final and falling to Rogersville, 8-1, this year’s squad is gearing up to advance beyond districts.
Hollister lost six lettermen off of last year’s team and has only one senior on this year’s roster. Senior Zech Wingate was named first team all-conference in 2015 and will lead the rest of the young Tigers.
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“We will be very young with only one senior, Wingate, but he is talented, being a two-time all-conference player,” said Burgi. “Zech is being recruited and will have an opportunity to play at the next level. Four of our sophomores started as freshmen and they have to contribute in all facets of the game this year.”
The Tigers’ sophomores are Jackson Bekemeier (SS/P), Landon Farquhar (P/OF), Trey Dorlon (P/3B), and Jenner Steel (C). They received valuable playing time as freshmen and will be counted on to produce more offense this year.
“One area we will have to improve is on the mound,” said Burgi. “Dorlon, Bekemeier, and Farquhar all pitched a lot last year with Dorlon being 6-2 on the mound. We are trying to make Wingate a pitcher, he has never pitched before but he has some velocity. We do have team speed and we are hoping we can use it to create runs.”
Other returning lettermen include infielder Ethan Parks, pitcher/first baseman Braeden Newell, and first baseman/dh Tyler Gross.
Some new faces in the crowd will include sophomores Hayden Walton (OF) and Chris Miesmer (P/1b), as well as utility man Logan Armitage, and third baseman Logan Naureaz, both freshmen.
With such a young lineup these Tigers will experience growing pains but with daily improvement, Burgi has his goals set high.
“We want to keep improving, and we want people to have respect for our program,” said Burgi. “We took a step forward last year. Our school is making a commitment to our athletic programs and we want to rise toward the top.”
