Baseball seeks to defend league title

The Outlaws return as three-time defending league champions and hope to clinch the title again this year. Last season the Outlaws were undefeated in league and the previous year lost only one league game for a 29-1 record for the past two seasons.

Sisters brings back seven experienced players: seniors Sam Calarco, Nicky Blumm, Ryan Pollard, Eli Boettner; juniors Joey Morgan and Jardon Weems; and sophomore Justin Harrer.

Calarco is a power hitter and RBI producer and will play both at third base and catcher this season. Last year Calarco was a second-team all-league selection. Blumm will play second base and also see some time on the mound. Nicky has a high on-base percentage and will be the Outlaws' lead-off hitter. He was a first-team all-league pick last year as well as a third-team all-state selection.

Pollard is currently out due to a broken wrist. The team hopes he will return by mid-April to play at center field. Ryan earned first-team all-league honors last year. Boettner rounds out the returning senior players. Eli will start the season at center field and will also be the team's only left-handed pitcher. He was named second team all-league outfield last season.

Morgan earned first team all-league and first team all-state honors last year as a sophomore. Joey will play a duel role for the Outlaws this year unlike the past two seasons. Morgan will catch for the Outlaws but will also be called upon to pitch. He is a great defensive catcher and can also hit for power.

Weems will start in the pitching rotation and see time in right field. Jardon is a smart player, does a great job defensively in the field and was a first-team all-league pick last year. Harrer will return as shortstop and will hit at No. 2 in the line-up. He's a power hitter and has a strong arm at shortstop.

Sophomore Cody Kreminski saw limited time as a varsity player last year and will see more time on the field this season. Senior Dillon Witt moved up from the JV squad to join the varsity squad and will see some time at first base and possibly the outfield.

New additions to the team are sophomore Connor Gellings, Ben Larson, and Billy Biggers as well as freshman Alex Olivier. These players are all competing for spots on the varsity roster.

Coach Steve Hodges stated, "Our goal is to defend our title, but obviously there are areas where we have to get better at. We lost Shane (Groth) last year, and he was one of the best pitchers in the state, so we'll have to improve in that area. But, in our favor, we have a lot of infield experience and when Ryan (Pollard) returns we'll have our outfield intact from last year.

"Our Arizona trip will provide us with some needed practices and prepare us for league," added Hodges. "Sweet Home and Elmira look to be our toughest competitors this year."

The Outlaws were to open their season at home on Tuesday, March 12, against Madras, and will face Summit at home on Friday, March 15.