The Washburn Beavers baseball team finished with a very solid 9-5 record last season, which earned them a trip to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were defeated in the first round by a very good Schenck team.
Coach Ben Goodwin, now in his eleventh year at the helm as the Washburn coach realizes that this may be a rebuilding year for the Beavers, as he lost five senior starters, but he sees a lot of promise with his young squad.
“With many new faces this year,” Goodwin explained, “I really want the boys to have fun. If they are able to do that in conjunction with learning more about the game and have a better appreciation for the game I would be happy. I expect there will be plenty of teachable moments this year and if we are able to learn from our mistakes and become more mentally aware then this club has the ability to win some games.”
Goodwin sees the biggest issue facing his team as finding enough pitching with the pitch count rule in place.
“Our biggest challenge will be our pitching. With a limited number of experienced pitchers we will need some rookies to step up and throw strikes this year.”
The two top returning players from a year ago include seniors McCall Turner and Caleb Thompson. As upperclassmen they will looked upon to provide leadership to this young squad. Turner is a pitcher and infielder, while Thompson is an outfielder.
Seniors Bryce Roix and Michael Alvira will also play big roles. Roix is a catcher/infielder while Alvira will man the outfield.
Other players will be expected to perform well and should include sophomores Carvor Pendexter, a pitcher/infielder, and Quintin Thompson, a catcher and pitcher.
Other players will be competing for playing time, and much of that will sort itself out as the season progresses. Beaver players Braedon Campbell, Noah White, Josh Jackson, Aiden Churchill, Steven Nader, Colby Hewitt, Logan Johnson and Jayden Alvira are all team members who are working hard and should see quality time in a variety of spots as the season goes on.
When asked about pre-season, Goodwin was complimentary toward his team.
“We have made some big strides prior to the start of the season. I am hopeful that we will continue to see improvements throughout the year.”
Look for the Beavers to be a team that gets better over time.
