By Chris Parker
Liberty baseball might be a little rusty out of the gates this season, as the Eagles haven’t seen live action against an opponent since 2019.
“We didn’t travel this summer, so it’s been awhile since we’ve competed against anyone. We had practice at the field multiple times through the week during the summer, but it’s not like competing against another team,” Liberty head coach Allen Hedden said. “Our boys are excited about getting back on the field and it has shown with our off-season workouts.”
Liberty will rely on a pair of seniors in Zeb Cornman and Kaden Daniels for leadership. Cornman, who hit .278 as a sophomore in 2019, will pitch and play catcher. Daniels will play first base and pitch.
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Noah Jester, Jacob Weaver, Cole Zimmerman and Jaden Anderson will round out the rotation. Jester hit .203 with five runs scored and five RBI in 2019. He will play second base when not pitching. Weaver will be in left field when not pitching. He is one of the team’s top returning hitters after posting a batting average of .326 in 2019. Anderson will play third when not pitching.
Junior Dylan Cooper rounds out the projected infield lineup at shortstop. He hit .281 with seven runs scored and nine RBI in 2019.
Cole Zimmerman (junior), Kevin Ledgerwood (senior), Josh Baldwin (junior) and Kal Acklin (sophomore) are all in the mix for time in the outfield.
Liberty will look for leadership from the pitching staff while working to have better at-bats.
“I think we have some pitching that can keep us in games. I know these boys are a hungry bunch and are really excited to get out of the field,” Hedden said. “We’ve got to continue to work on having good at-bats and never wasting an opportunity.”
Liberty opens the season on Mar. 25 at Winona.
“This is going to be a fun bunch to watch and we hope that we get better and better as the season goes on,” Hedden said.
