Yelm’s baseball team returned to practice in late February in preparation for their upcoming season.
After graduating nine seniors last season, the program looks to rebuild as they …
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Yelm’s baseball team returned to practice in late February in preparation for their upcoming season.
After graduating nine seniors last season, the program looks to rebuild as they introduce a group of talented underclassmen to their varsity team. This year’s team will feature six seniors, one junior, two sophomores and six freshmen.
Zach Miller, who is entering his second year as the head coach, described the team as young and hungry.
“We saw the youth movement coming, because COVID knocked our team’s numbers down,” Miller said. “But we’re going to plan for the future and we’re happy to have them here to be a part of it.”
Miller believes the team will benefit from having six competitive freshmen on its roster. Miller said the ninth graders will be able to get playing time with the upperclassmen, which should elevate the team overall.
Kolby Henry and Aden Schaler are two of the seniors described as leaders by Miller. Henry has typically played third base for the Tornados, but is expected to spend some time at first base this season, while Schaler will play in the outfield.
Barrett Schnetz and Wyatt Robison are two returning players that Miller expects will make great strides this season.
Freshmen Parker Myers and Lincoln Ramirez will see significant playing time in the infield at shortstop and second base, according to Miller. The team will also have two freshmen pitchers throughout the season, as Jonah Smith and Landan Halterman are expected to take on the mound
“We’re looking at the future early, but they’re a good group of kids. They’re talented and athletic. We’re laying the foundation for the future,” Miller said. “We have some depth this year that we didn’t have last year. We had 23 freshmen try out, and while I would’ve loved to keep all of them, where we’re at in our program right now we had to make some tough decisions.”
The South Sound Conference will send five teams to the postseason. Miller said the team has set a goal to be one of those five teams in the playoffs.
While Miller doesn’t want to lose sight of small improvements, he hopes the team can build off of its four wins from last season.
Yelm’s first baseball game will be on Friday, March 10 against Rainier High School. The matchup will be hosted at Yelm High School.
Following their game against the crosstown rivals, the Tornados will host two home games against non-conference opponents. The first game will be on Monday, March 13 against Lakes High School, and the second on Friday, March 17 against Steilacoom High School.
“These will be good, early season matches for these young guys to get their feet wet,” Miller said.