Loaded with seniors, Trojans looking for big season

With eleven seniors returning from a 13-10 team last year, the Park Hill baseball team won’t need too much time to warm up this spring as they bring back a healthy amount of experience. This senior class not only has experience from last season, but many of them have been playing varsity since their sophomore year including Alex Otto at second base and Daniel Jessen at third who will be returning as third-year starters in what is shaping up to be a strong infield. Junior Adam Vanderpool is showing strong potential at first base while Austin Kepler will head up the catching duties with Jake Sobbe also seeing some time behind the plate. Other seniors likely to contribute include outfielders Nick Hughes, James Vega, and Alex Kennedy along with infielders Chris Burr, Clay Smith, Lyle Fryear and J.D. Weyer who batted .370 last season.

The only question coach Greg Reynolds hopes to answer early this season is who will be able to produce on the pitching mound for the Trojans. Solid pitching outings could take the Trojans to a higher level with the defensive experience they hope to have supporting them. One of the areas Reynolds has focused on early leading up to the first games is his team’s mental approach.

“We try to focus on the mindset you have to have every time you’re at the plate, making a pitch, or what you’re going to do when a ball gets hit to you,” Reynolds said. “One of the things that is frustrating is you can’t just flip a switch and make it happen, it takes time.”

Having been able to work with many of his players for several years, Reynolds sees it as an advantage because they know what to expect: a simple, but consistent message of being better than last year.

“That’s the good thing about being a varsity kid for three years is you’ve heard it from me for three years,” Reynolds said. “It’s not like I’m telling them something that isn’t being said to any other high school player in the state.”

In a conference and district that in some years can feature some of the state’s top competition, the Trojans will look to challenge local teams like Liberty, Oak Park, and Kearney for the top spot this year. Relying on his seasoned seniors, Reynolds thinks they have the chance to be a really good team if they maintain the right mindset.

“If they go out there and say we’ve been playing for three years and everything is going to be great, then it might not work out that way,” Reynolds said. “If they can get on a roll and really start believing in what they’re doing, then they could go a long way.”