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The members of the Magna Vista Warriors baseball team are (Front row, from left): Ryan Emerson, Matt Willard, Brandon Hairston, Alex Zavala and Justin Powell. (Middle row): Jonathan Morgan, Lamar Brown, Deshawn Strickland, Jonathan Cox and Josh Mann. (Back row): Stephen Kanode, Dennis Gravely, Blake Nuzzo and Zach Morris. (Bulletin photo by Adam Regan) |
Friday, March 9, 2007
By ADAM REGAN - Bulletin Sports Writer
Balloons and streamers weren’t released into the sky when Magna Vista concluded its 4-14 campaign last season. The fact that the Warriors finished the season by winning three out of their last five games, however, was cause for a ray of hope.
Head Coach Rick Ramey hopes to parlay his team’s late-season surge into a successful 2007 season.
“We played real well at the end of the year,” he said. “We expect to be real competitive this year.”
The Warriors dropped a 4-3 decision to Patrick County in the first round of the Piedmont District Tournament to end their season.
An eight-member senior class presents promise for the club on paper. On the other hand, Ramey admits there are still many questions that need to be answered before the season starts.
“With pitching, it is just a matter of seeing who can start and who can close out a ball game,” he said. “In the batting order, we really don’t have anything set, with players being behind from basketball season.”
Ramey suspects that right-hander Zach Morris will lead a six-arm stable of Warrior hurlers.
Right-handers Jonathan Cox and Stephen Kanode showed their potential last season while southpaw Justin Powell might prove to be a change of pace for PD hitters.
Second-baseman Brandon Hairston and third-baseman Blake Nuzzo will captain the infield in the team’s quest for mistake-free defense.
“If the guys just listen and realize that we are capable of accomplishing a lot this season, I think we are going to win some games,” Ramey said.
The Warriors hope to stretch opposing teams’ defenses with countless bunts and stolen bases. Morris, Hairston, Cox and Nuzzo will be the main candidates to drive in the runs.
Ramey prefers that the middle of his order search for holes in the defense rather than hoping for the long ball.
“I don’t even want those guys thinking about hitting the ball out of the park,” he said. “We can’t afford to leave runners on the base paths.”
Ramey believes the level of competition in the PD has forced his club to step up its game a few notches. The question to whether it leads them out of the district cellar will be answered this season.
Story by Bulletin Sports Writer Adam Regan |
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