Clarke Central High School sophomore Will Dement completes a drill at baseball practice on Jan. 27. CCHS varsity baseball assistant coach Nicholas Wegmann has seen motivation in the players and hopes for a good 2020 season. “I’m just really excited. We’ve got a really young group of talent. Our guys are really gelling well together. Our first two weeks of practice have been really up-tempo, and they’ve had a lot of energy,” Wegmann said. Photo by Isabella Johnson
The Clarke Central High School baseball team has begun practices for their 2020 season and will play their first game on Feb 14.
The Clarke Central High School varsity baseball team began practices on Jan 13, working toward their first game of the 2020 season on Feb. 14, where they will host White County High School.
CCHS varsity baseball assistant coach Nicholas Wegmann feels that the team is starting out strong.
“I’ve really never seen a first two weeks like this, so I’m really hoping that after last year making the playoffs, this year, the guys really know what they need to do to get past that first round of the playoffs,” Wegmann said.
With last year being the first time the team made it to playoffs since 2002, Wegmann hopes to see them go further and continue to improve. Wegmann himself played for the CCHS baseball team from 2004-07 and has been coaching baseball since 2010.
“Our program has been steadily increasing. With our numbers of players and their work ethic, (it) just seems to get better every single year, and last year we ended up making the playoffs, so I feel like just the program as a whole has come leaps and bounds since I played here and since I started coaching here,” Wegmann said.
CCHS head varsity baseball coach Adam Osborne attributes the team’s recent accomplishments to the attitude of the players.
“One of the factors (of their improvement) is our guys are buying in and they’re enjoying it and they’re playing a lot of baseball and they’re working towards a goal, they’re putting the work in. So it’s not about what we’re doing. It’s more about what we’ve done,” Osborne said.
CCHS varsity first baseman Jack Krohn, a senior, agrees and believes that the team’s attitude and mindset at practice will lead to the team’s success.
“I think in the past, we haven’t really been as focused at practice, and we’ve sort of been lackadaisical and just more there to have fun than actually try to win games. So I think this year, we’ve been better at being more focused at practice, and I think that will show results once games come,” Krohn said.
“ With our numbers of players and their work ethic, (it) just seems to get better every single year.”
— Nicholas Wegmann,
varsity baseball assistant coach
CCHS varsity baseball shortstop Quinten McManmon, a sophomore, has noticed the team’s increased focus and thinks it will lead the team to continue to improve.
“(I’ve noticed growth) really just (with) work ethic. When I was in eighth grade, we didn’t really work that hard. Last year, we worked a lot harder and we did a lot better. And this year I think we’re going to work even harder,” McManmon said.
Osborne believes the team’s demeanor could lead them to a record season.
“It’s really about what our guys are doing, what our players are doing when they’re taking coaching, they have a great attitude during practice,” Osborne said. “Everything is upbeat, it’s more positive and upbeat and lively than I’ve ever seen it.”
