Baseball Scrimmages Against Gov’s
Last Saturday, boys’ varsity baseball took to Hatch Field to face off in a home scrimmage against the Governor’s Academy. As the game was not within the CNESPL league, the score was not recorded. However, the boys still came out on top, and added a win to their season.
“[The] game wasn’t about winning or losing.” Rather, it was about “getting reps and getting better timing for play, footwork for fielders, picking up signs and knowing when to do things.”
The team had a successful first game of the season against Tabor Academy with a 15-5 win. The second game of the season last Tuesday was just as rewarding. “Relative to last year, [the team is having a] much better season already,” lower Luke Tyner explained. “[It’s a] good group of guys this year.”
Because Big Red played on Hatch Field, the lines were not measured properly for the game, because this turf field is also used for field hockey and lacrosse. This obstacle proved difficult when the Exeter team was not at bat. “Hitting pop flies would end up being home runs,” Tyner explained. These types of plays would not have occurred on a properly sized field.
It was especially difficult for the pitchers, as the mound was a rectangle with a huge drop instead of the typical round shape. Due to the mound challenges, the rules of the game were changed slightly to protect players from injury. Players were not allowed to steal bases or pick people off to prevent broken ankles.
Despite the frustrations that came with the varied rules, co-captain and senior Sam Stone said, “[The] game wasn’t about winning or losing.” Rather, it was about “getting reps and getting better timing for play, footwork for fielders, picking up signs and knowing when to do things.”
With nine out of twenty-seven members of the team being underclassmen, this scrimmage provided an opportunity for the team to develop its younger talent for upcoming games and future seasons.
During the game, prep Owen Fox played as the starting pitcher and was able to pitch quick innings. In addition to Fox, the team also gained upper Andrew Dawe and lower Will Coogan as pitchers from the boys’ junior varsity team. Other preps that made an impact on Saturday’s win were Owen McKiernan, who hit well, and Christian Petry, a new second baseman.
Going into their next game against Berwick Academy, the team is focusing on getting used to playing together as a team and on a real diamond. Due to the inconvenient weather, the team was forced to practice on the turf fields until this week. This restriction made it difficult for the team to get a real sense of the game.
Stone’s goals for the team this season are to make it to the playoffs, win the championship and beat Andover at the end of the season. On an individual level, many of the upperclassmen on the team are hoping to be scouted by colleges so that they can play either Division I or Division III baseball in the future.
“[We’re] not too worried about the season,” Tyner noted. “We’re playing some good teams this year [but] as a unit, we know we’re a solid team. Just trying to play ball and have fun.”