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Roane County’s 2008 baseball team includes, front (from left): Tyler Letourneau, Alex Mace, Brian Fletcher, Josh Wine, Tyler Payne, Jared Reed, Austin Corbitt; middle: Ethan Batten, Shane Starcher, Josh Jones, Daniel Eisenberg, Jackson Craddock, Evan Greathouse, Colter Taylor, Matt Harper; back: Aaron Parsons, Billy Traub, Heath Goins, Josh Drake, Tyler Starcher, Matt Brohard, Ryan Jarvis, Ethan Messineo, Zach Reed.
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Sports Editor - High school baseball should be played in the fresh air and sunshine, not in a gym.
But for Roane County’s Raiders, inside has been the place to be during the preseason.
“We’re not too bad for a gym team,” 10th-year head coach Jeff Thompson said earlier this week. “We’ve only been outside twice, and one of those we stayed on the asphalt. The other time our infield was pretty soft and we didn’t get a lot done.”
A couple of good weather days were predicted for later in the week, but Roane could see its first on-field action when it plays at Point Pleasant in Tuesday’s scheduled season opener.
The Big Blacks edged the Raiders 6-5 in a regional semifinal last year to end Roane’s season at 18-13. LKC Player of the Year Chris Snyder, first team all-conference pick Phil Hall and pitcher Harry Goins were among those lost to graduation by the Raiders, who nonetheless return a solid nucleus.
Starters back include another LKC first-teamer in Zach Reed, a senior centerfielder/pitcher. Reed hit .400 as a junior and was 5-3 on the mound with a 1.66 ERA.
“He swings the bat pretty well,” Thompson said. “(As a pitcher) he’s around the plate all the time. He has an excellent curveball he can throw for strikes.”
Also back are seniors Aaron Parsons at second base and Heath Goins at first base and pitcher. Parsons hit .153 last season and Goins .273 with 16 RBIs.
Ryan Jarvis, a junior, will move from third to fill Snyder’s spot at shortstop. Jarvis hit .273 with four doubles. Tyler Starcher, another junior is back in left field after batting .296 with a homer in 2007. Junior Matt Brohard will play catcher, third or be the designated hitter. He had a .294 average last season.
“This junior bunch is pretty aggressive at the plate,” Thompson said. “They don’t get cheated when they’re up there.”
Senior Ethan Messineo, a part-time starter as a junior, will play right field.
Other Raiders in the running for playing time include senior newcomer Josh Drake (DH/third base/pitcher), junior Billy Traub (catcher) and sophomores Daniel Eisenberg (infield), Ethan Batten (first base/pitcher) and Josh Jones (outfield/pitcher).
The 25-player roster includes five freshmen that will play on the junior varsity.
Thompson’s pitching staff is loaded with lefties. Reed, Goins, Batten and Jones all throw from the south side.
“I never dreamed I’d be in need of a right-handed pitcher,” the coach said.
With no bad hops in the gym, it’s too early to make a call on how good the Raider defense will be. That is also true of the final record until more is known of the team’s opponents.
Roane plays a full slate of LKC games along with a home tournament on April 18 and the LKC tournament May 1-2 at St. Marys.
“Just qualifying for the LKC tournament will be a big chore,” Thompson said, listing Clay County, Wirt County and Gilmer County as strong South division foes.
Another sectional match-up with Ritchie County looms on May 6-7 followed by a possible regional semifinal game at home on May 19.
Thompson boiled his team’s chance for success down to a simple formula.
“If our kids throw strikes and we put the ball in play, we’ll be all right,” he said.
