By Chris Parker
Hermitage baseball went 7-10 last season and returns six starters this season.
“In my first year at the head of Hermitage Baseball, we were able to double our win total in the regular season and did a good job competing with quality opponents each night,” Hermitage head coach Zac Sutt said. “This year, we hope to continue on that right track. We lost three guys from last year’s team to graduation, so with a big bulk of our lineup returning we look to continue building and moving the program in the right direction. We are excited to get back to work and hope to put together a very competitive group this year.”
Senior Cash Turner and sophomore Joel Earwood return after earning all-conference and all-district honors last season.
Turner, a pitcher, shortstop and catcher, hit .283 with 5 RBI last season. He had a 3-5 record with a 4.79 ERA on the mound.
“Cash is a returning all-district and conference player for us that we are hoping can continue to lead us on the field and have a strong senior campaign,” Sutt said. “He comes back as our top arm and a solid glove on the infield and bat.”
Earwood posted a 3-1 record with a 2.19 ERA on the mound while hitting .373 at the plate.
“After a strong freshman season, we hope Joel will come back and continue to build on the success he had last season. He brings a strong arm and bat to our lineup,” Sutt said.
Senior Jaxon Wheeler and sophomore Ashton Sawyer are two more returners.
Wheeler hit .302 with 20 stolen bases in 2024.
“Jaxon is coming back after a solid junior year for us,” Sutt said. “He will be another kid we will look to for leadership and has put in the work to have a standout senior campaign.”
Sawyer contributed 13 RBI with a .279 batting average as a freshman.
“Ashton had a good freshman year in the field with a .923 fielding percent,” Sutt said. “We will look to him to take a step forward from the plate and hopefully have a strong sophomore season.”
Logun Whittle (senior), Cole King (senior), Justin Weathers (sophomore), Devin Lancaster (junior), Dane Harlow-Fitzpatrick (sophomore), Bryson Kobe (sophomore) and Steven Robertson (sophomore) also return.
“We are excited to have this group back and ready to get back to work,” Sutt said. “These kids will all compete to fill some gaps we lost to graduation and hopefully take on larger roles for us in the upcoming season.”
Levi George (junior), Jacen Wheeler (freshman) and Trayce Boeke (freshman) are newcomers to watch.
“This is Levi’s first year in the district, and we will look for him to have an immediate impact on our program. He is a hard-working kid who is excited to get to work,” Sutt said. “These guys (Wheeler and Boeke) will jump right in our group and compete to make an immediate impact on our team.”
Hermitage opens the season on Mar. 22 at Stoutland.
