Head coach Mike Long will take the Perry baseball team into action one final time this summer, and the veteran skipper will, he admitted, have to keep pieces moving around if the team is to have success.[wpedon id=”82220″ align=”center”]
“We are very much a work in progress,” Long admitted. “We have Alexis (Garrido) back, but, Carp (Austin Carpenter) is the only other guy we have who has any real varsity pitching experience.”
Garrido tossed 42-2/3 frames last year and finished 3-4 with an ERA of 4.43 while Carpenter threw 17-2/3 innings with a 7.13 ERA while finishing 0-1.
“We have to find more arms, it is as simple as that,” Long said. “And, of course, we will look different defensively based upon who is on the mound. We have Gavin (Boyer) back at catcher, with Brandon Kenyon able to catch or play on the infield and Kaleb (Olejniczak) will be in the outfield, but it really is going to depend on pitching.”
Long is an adamant opponent of the strict pitch-count regulations introduced by the IHSAA last summer. Meant to prevent the over-use of young arms, it has instead, Long said, strangled many teams below the heavy-roster 4A squads.
“It has all but killed Saturday tournaments, because no one has the innings to spare,” he said. “We have to find two-thirds of the innings we are going to play, and it won’t be easy.”
Perry was 7-21 overall last summer and 5-9 in Raccoon River Conference play. Despite Long’s concerns, several strong pieces return.
Kenyon hit .345 with five doubles and 18 RBIs while striking out just four times, with Olejniczak hitting .318 with 24 runs scored, two triples and 13 RBIs.
Carpenter (.295), Garrido (.288) and Aaron Lockwood (.265) bring experience to the lineup.
Expected to see plenty of varsity action this year are Justin Stammer, Avery Meister, Kato Dougan, and Keghan West.
“We are not deep, so we need to stay healthy and we need to have contributions from everyone,” Long said. “Guys are going to have their opportunities, and we will see who can step up.”
Limited roster numbers and pitching availability Perry will play a restricted junior varsity schedule this year, with games played with a one-hour time limit. Unless noted, JV games will begin at 5:30 p.m. with varsity action to follow at approximately 7 p.m.
Perry opens play tonight when they host Roland-Story. The team will visit North Polk Tuesday before returning to Progressive Field when they entertain Greene County Thursday.
