2023 BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL PREVIEWS

Sophomore Dalton Hutton -- Dalton will be returning as the Cougars’ No. 1 pitcher. He logged several effective innings as a freshman and will continue to do so as a sophomore. Dalton will also be looked upon to produce offensively.

Sophomore Cameron Sievers -- Cameron comes into his sophomore season with both pitching and defensive experience. We will continue to lean on Cam for important relief innings on the mound as well as defensively sound play in the middle of the infield. Looking for Cameron to improve offensively as he has worked hard in the weight room to get stronger.

Sophomore Landyn Woods -- A utility guy who can play anywhere on the infield. Nice having a player with versatility. Landyn will look to build off a strong freshman campaign on the mound. Defensively, Landyn will hopefully fill the role as our normal third baseman. Looking for him to produce offensively as well.

Sophomore Caden Meyer -- Caden looks to build off his offensive performance as a DH towards the end of last season. He is a player who is going to have to continue to step up and fill some voids both offensively and defensively.

Key losses: Cole Meyer, Parker Hoots, Tysyn Mast, and Lathan Barnett. Each player had a very big impact on last year’s team and will be greatly missed.

Key newcomers: Freshman Ryker Ford -- Ryker will be looked upon to start for the Cougars as a freshman. Ryker comes into high school having played a lot of baseball over the years in travel ball. His skills will definitely be utilized this year. We are looking for Ryker to take over center field, log some crucial innings on the mound, and produce offensively. His biggest adjustment will be getting used to the speed of the game and high school pitching.

Freshman Nick Hamilton -Nick will be another freshman who will be used more so as a utility player. Nick has also played travel ball for several years, so looking forward to seeing what he can do to help the team this season. Nick will be used as a utility guy defensively as well as being used on the mound.

Junior Chance Little -- Chance is new to the baseball program this year. His name has come up a lot in Cougar sports as he is a heck of a football and basketball player. It will be nice to get to see him use his athleticism on the baseball field this year. How we will use him on the team has yet to be determined, but we look for Chance to help the team both offensively and defensively.

Junior Owen Barber -- Owen is another kid who is well known for his accomplishments on the football field. With potential low numbers, he has been recruited by the upperclassmen as well. Owen will be looking to help us both offensively and defensively.

Senior Rylen Shaw -- Rylen is a senior who is playing high school baseball for the first time. It will be fun to see him use his athleticism on the field. Rylen’s role on the team is yet to be determined, but we will find a way to utilize his speed and quick bat.

Pitching: Our four top arms from last season will all be returning this year. Dalton Hutton will return for his sophomore season looking to lead the team again on the mound as our ace. Dalton went 4-2 last season with a 1.46 ERA. He logged an impressive 80 strikeouts in 47 innings.

Tyson Brown went 8-3 last ters include Tyson Brown at leadoff. He hit .337 last season with an OBP of .422. Dalton Hutton hit .333 last season with six doubles and 28 RBIs. Mason Berry hit .325 last season. We are looking for Mason to have a breakout season offensively. lot of time in the outfield. She is quick and has a good arm. season with a 4.31 ERA in 46 innings. Cameron Sievers, a relief pitcher in 2022, will be used as a relief pitcher again this year with some spot starts depending on how the rotation works out. Sievers was 1-0 with a 6.17 ERA.

Carson Brown is injured. He will be missed, as he hit .353 last season with a .511 OBP.

Fielding: Fielding has several spots that should be accounted for, but we are still working a few things out to see what fits best for this year’s team. We have several players who can play many different positions, and a lot of lineups will be determined based on who is the starting pitcher for that day.

Season outlook: Have high expectations for this group as we have several key players returning. We will look to build off our above .500 season last year and have set goals to compete in this year’s WIVC Tournament as well as make it back to a regional championship.

The freshman class all around is a very athletic class that will see a lot of playing time.

Pitching: Rylee Burk, a senior, will likely step in as our ace. Hallee Lawson, a freshman, will be seeing many innings also. Both girls have different styles of pitching that are effective in their own ways. I can trust these two to get us through very tough situations when they need to. Bryleigh Fox is a reliable third option.

Hitting: It’s a little early to tell who our best hitters will be, but what we do know is that we will hit for more power. We have a few girls who are going to be quick and hit the ball on a line and get around the bases quick.

Landyn Woods went into last season with little pitching experience. He worked hard to learn the position and recorded a 1.5 ERA in 14 innings. He will be utilized more this season on the mound.

Mason Berry, Ryker Ford, Nick Hamilton, and Caden Meyer also will be used on the mound this year. With several games in a short period of time and the IHSA pitch-count rules, all members of the pitching staff will be crucial in having a successful season.

Hitting: Offensively, we are looking to be aggressive, especially in hitter’s counts. Leading hit-

West Central Softball

Coach:

Kaitlyn Wade

Returning starters: Kylie Clayton, Trystan White, Rylee Burk, Bryleigh Fox, Brylee Lawson, Alli Peterson, Annabell Shafer, Abbie Vieira

Key losses: Zaylei Evans, Maeleigh Alexander

Key newcomers: Myah Little -- A very speedy player anywhere we put her. She will more than likely play in the middle infield but can also step in as catcher if needed.

Hallee Lawson -- Hallee will likely see many innings in the circle, splitting time with Rylee and possibly at third base.

December Mitchell -- A sophomore who has never played before but will be very likely to see a

Fielding: Myah Little, Bryleigh Fox, Abbie Vieira, and Alli Peterson are the main ones competing for a spot in the middle infield. Brylee Lawson is likely to see time at third base, and her sister, Hallee, is a great backup for that position. At first base, Trystan White is more than likely to see most of the innings. Kylie Clayton is also one who could see some innings at first base. Sadie Fundel is our catcher for the season, but Myah Little is also a reliable backup for that position. Our outfield positions are very competitive right now. There is not a single girl that I wouldn’t put out there.

Season outlook: We have set a team goal of being .500 or better, and the girls are working towards that goal every day. We have many players who can be put in many different positions, and we know they will do well. We have 18 girls on the team, and they all have their own skills that contribute to the team in positive ways. As new coaches taking over the program, Sydney and I are working towards building the program culture back to what it was when we played. We feel like we will surprise a lot of teams this year.