By Chris Parker
Thayer baseball has five starters returning from a seven-win team a year ago.
Those five returning starters are Devin Harrington (shortstop/pitcher), Easton Pitts (second base/outfield), Cooper Clark (catcher/third base), Colton Mills (shortstop/pitcher) and Dawson Harris (sophomore outfield).
Head coach Matt Pitts on Harrington: “Devin had a great season last year. He has worked extremely hard to improve his game. He is a leader for us and brings great energy with his play. We are looking for Devin to have another productive year on the mound for us as a starter and closer.”
Coach Pitts on Easton Pitts: “Easton can play multiple positions for us in the field. He has great plate discipline and always seems to find a way on. We look for him to be our lead off and defensively play multiple positions and pitch quality innings as a starter or in relief.”
Coach Pitts on Clark: “Cooper caught for us last year and really shored up that position for us. Adding another quality catcher in Thornton will allow us to move Cooper around position wise in certain situations. Cooper could also see more time on the mound for us this season as a starter or in relief.”
Coach Pitts on Mills: “Colton will play shortstop/second base for us this season. He saw a limited role as a pitcher for us last year, but we look for him to pitch more quality innings for us this season.”
Coach Pitts on Harris: “Dawson played outfield for us last season. He has good footwork and does a great job locating the ball.”
Freshmen Mason Thornton, Kaleb Tipton, Carter Nicholson, Dominick Boyce, Jasper Cypret and Brendon Spencer will be newcomers to watch for Thayer.
Coach Pitts on Thornton: “Mason is a great competitor on the diamond. He caught for us this summer and did a great job behind the plate. He has quick hands and has good discipline at the plate.”
Coach Pitts on Tipton: “Kaleb started for us this summer playing first base. He will be competing for a starting role for us this spring.”
Coach Pitts on Nicholson: “Carter has great footwork in the field. He did a great job for us finding a way on base. Carter will compete for a starting role in the field.”
Coach Pitts on Boyce: “Dominick improved his game a lot this summer. He can play multiple positions and has shown to make plays both offensively and defensively.”
Coach Pitts on Cypret: “Jasper is another kid who can play multiple positions for us. Although not extremely fast, he does a great job on the bases and has improved his game in the field.”
Coach Pitts on Spencer: “Brendon has great hands and does a great job on the basepaths. He will compete for a starting role in the field and will pinch/courtesy run.”
Thayer opens the regular season on Mar. 19 at Mansfield.
“We will have a good mix of veteran guys and younger players this year,” Coach Pitts said. “We will have more pitching depth this year and more guys who can play multiple spots for us which will be big in conference and district play. We showed flashes last year, and we are hoping to become more consistent this spring. We expect to be a smart baseball team, limiting our mistakes in the field and at the plate.”
