By Chris Parker
Hurley baseball is looking for a bounce-back season after winning just two games last year.
Things start with seniors Avery Myers (utility) and Terry Lowery (pitcher/shortstop).
Head coach Tyler Slawson on Myers: “Avery has been a leader since the very first practice I had with him three years ago. He works hard and leads by example, he listens well and is a great player to coach. He can play anywhere on the field which helps us greatly with our different pitching rotations. He led by example earlier in his career and is learning how to lead vocally. His willingness to play any spot for the team says everything. He has helped the team grow to where we are now.”
Slawson on Lowery: “Terry has been a key player for us since day one. He has led the team in batting average many times and has been the anchor to our infield. He works hard and has improved every year. He expects the best and demands it from others on the field. He is a competitor and wants to win more than anyone else. He has led the team in many statistical categories and we look for him to continue that this spring.”
The top of the pitching rotation will be Lowery, Casyen Youngblood (freshman) and Whitlatch (sophomore). Whitlatch will also catch.
Slawson on Lowery as a pitcher: “Terry has been one of our top pitchers over the past few years. He fills up the zone and has the best off-speed on the team. He can command every one of his pitches and has the confidence to throw them in any count. He led the team in strikeouts but doesn’t have many wins to show his talent. His stats on the mound don’t reflect the pitcher he is, he has kept us in many games and we didn’t pull through for him in the end. We plan for that to change this year.”
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Slawson on Youngblood: “Caysen stepped up this fall and threw many innings for us. He is very poised for a freshman and understands the game. He fills up the zone and doesn’t try to do too much. He attacks hitters and it shows. He had the lowest ERA on the team this fall. He is very reliable and we plan on him seeing plenty of time on the mound this spring.”
Slawson on Whitlatch: “Shawn spends most of his time catching for us but when he is not he will be on the mound. He has pitched in the past, but he made a great leap this fall. He has a rubber arm, he could throw every day if he had to. He has a good arm and can keep hitters off balance with his off-speed. He led the team in innings this fall and we plan to see him extend deeper into games this spring.”
The infield will lineup with Lowery (shortstop), Kolton Graves (third base), Myers (utility), Hayden Grubbs (first base), Youngblood (utility) and Jordan Cloud (second base).
Slawson on Graves: “Kolton filled some big shoes at third this fall. He does exactly what he needs to do. He makes the average plays and works hard. We can’t ask for much more from a third baseman.”
Slawson on Grubbs: “Hayden plays a solid first base. He is great at picking and understands how to play the bag. He leads well from first and always takes a great at-bat.”
Slawson on Cloud: “He played second base this fall and gained some valuable experience. He does the little things well and understands the game. We plan for him to help us out this spring.”
The outfield will feature Aidyn Whaley, Koby Riley, Jordan Yoho and Layne Arivett.
Slawson on Whaley: “Aidyn has played many positions for us in the past. We can trust him anywhere but this fall he really played a great outfield, we love his arm and he reads the ball well. He is very athletic and can make plays, he also swings it very well hitting our only home run of the fall.”
Slawson on Riley: “Koby played for us last spring and found his way into the outfield. He makes the average plays and always hits his cuts. You can’t ask much more of an outfielder. He moves well and is a reliable outfielder.”
Slawson on Yoho: “Jordan came to us late this fall and immediately impacted our team. He is very fast and aggressive, and he reads the ball well for the little practice he has had. He has the ability to play anywhere but we plan on him seeing most of his time in the outfield.”
Slawson on Arivett: “Layne helped us this fall in the outfield. He gained some valuable experience and we saw some good things from him. He is very fast and improved greatly this fall. He will be pushing for a spot in the outfield this spring.”
Overall, Hurley will have a versatile lineup this year.
“The strength of our team is our versatility,” Slawson said. “We have multiple people who can play multiple positions. We will have many defensive lineups based off of who is pitching and we are confident moving the guys around. We know the next person can step up and play very well. The seniors have a solid freshman class that is pushing them to get better each day. The younger guys are willing to learn and work hard. This team has the talent to play with anyone, we just need the confidence to go out and win some games.”
Hurley opens the season on Mar. 18 at Norwood.
“This team has the talent to play with anyone and I believe we will prove that this spring,” Slawson said. “The guys have bought into what we are doing and get better each day. We played with plenty of teams this fall but fell short. Once we believe we can close out a game, this team will be hard to beat. I believe in every guy on the team, we have a lot of hard workers that have bought into what we are doing. We have the talent and drive to make a run this spring.”
