By Chris Parker
Expectations are high for Macks Creek baseball with three returning all-state players leading the way from last season’s 12-win squad.
Senior Hunter Lane, who was first-team all-conference and honorable mention all-state at DH/Utility, leads those returners. He led Macks Creek in hitting last year posting a .500 batting average with a team-high 30 hits, 25 RBI and 27 runs scored with 12 stolen bases. He was also the ace on the mound for the Pirates throwing 42.1 innings with 80 strikeouts and a 1.32 ERA. All three of those numbers led the team.
“Hunter drew some of our tougher assignments last year and also came in as a reliever in key games for us as well. His best performance was against then Class 1 10th ranked Halfway, where he finished with 17 strikeouts. He has a knack for picking up on tendencies that hitters have and finding ways to exploit them. He does have a decent fastball that has been clocked in the low to mid-80s and he compliments that with a curveball and changeup. He also mixes in a knuckleball that he has managed to gain control over in the past couple of years. He hits spots well and can rear back and throw it when necessary,” Macks Creek head coach Jason Trusty said. “I expect him to go out and do some of what he did last year: lead by example this year as a senior, work hard every day, have a little fun, and play some baseball. He’s a quiet leader sometimes but he also knows when he needs to step in and be vocal.”
Lane will see time all over the infield at third, shortstop and first base when not pitching.
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Cole Register returns behind the plate at catcher after earning honorable mention all-state honors at the position last year. He hit .327 with a .513 on-base percentage with 25 runs scored last season. He will also see time at pitcher and second base.
Junior Grant English rounds out the returning all-state players. He was named honorable mention all-state in the outfield last year while hitting .350 with a .426 on-base percentage to go with 16 runs scored and 14 RBI.
Colton Walter (senior), Tanner Smith (junior), Trever Smith (junior), Keith Edelman (junior), Preston Borgmeyer (junior), Hunter Harris (sophomore), Olivier Sanchez (sophomore) and Chase Whitworth (freshman) are other players to watch on varsity.
Experience overall and on the mound will be a strength this year for Macks Creek.
“We will have guys that have varsity innings for us on the bump and our offense comes back fairly intact from last year. We will need to continue to work and develop in those areas, however, as three of what will be our main throwers will graduate this year. We are also a much older group in terms of varsity experience, but we have plenty of younger guys that I think will push the older guys and make us better overall,” Trusty said.
Trusty will look for the defense to improve in support of that strong pitching.
“I’m hoping that we will improve over last year defensively. We had way too many errors last season that cost us games, and it makes it harder on our pitchers that feel they need to do too much on the mound. If we can find a way to be more consistent and cut down on errors we will be alright,” Trusty said.
Macks Creek opens the season on Mar. 20 at Skyline.
