Mohawks getting prepped for opening pitch of baseball season

Head coach Lyall Foran said while they have plenty of resources such as an indoor batting cage, the team is itching to get back out on the diamond.

“The winter has kind of prolonged itself here and we even have some new snow fall,” said Foran. “So, hopefully they open up the fields for us pretty shortly and we’re able to get outside.”

The Mohawks will be looking to improve on their 8-3 record in league play last spring, along with avenging a semi-final exit to the Brooks Buffalos in the league championship tournament.

A number of rookies will be making their Mohawks debut this spring, including Grade 10 student Tory Nelson, who will be suiting up at both short stop and catcher.

Nelson said he’s been trying to pick the brains of the returning players from last year’s semi-final squad.

“It’s good to watch and learn,” said Nelson. “You have really good coaches here, but learning from [veterans] makes you a way better player than when you first came.”

Three senior players will be back with the Mohawks this year, including slugger and occasional pitcher Zach Stark.

In 10 league games with the Mohawks in 2017, Stark posted a team-leading 16 RBIs to go alongside a .321 batting average.

Also coming back to the team will be Dane Weiss and Travis Small for their Grade 12 campaigns.

Foran said they’re hoping to lean on their pitching staff this season to spread out starts and relief appearances.

“We have a lot of pitchers, so that’s always a benefit,” he said. “A lot of guys that we can turn to and give the ball over, and hopefully eat up a lot of innings for us. And offensively, we should have some strong bats to fill in the ones that we lost.”

Although their season comes at the tail end of the school year, the Mohawks have been practicing together for months getting ready for opening day of the season.

Nelson said the weather hasn’t been too much trouble for the team, as they have still been able to get their reps in.

“We’re doing a lot of game simulations,” said Nelson. “So, we’re facing each other pitching and doing a lot of live batting practice. So, we feel like we’re doing pretty good.”

The Mohawks will have a special tune-up ahead of the high school season, as they fly down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Monday to take part in a five-day tournament.

Medicine Hat High officially gets their 2018 season started on April 10 at 5:30 pm against Brooks at Jeffries Park.

by Scott Roblin

Mohawks getting prepped for opening pitch of baseball season

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