2013 Preview: Whiteoak Wildcats Baseball
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Expectations are high for the Whiteoak baseball team this season, as they return a core group of athletes that have winning in mind and have set their goals high for the 2013 campaign.
Six players return to a team that finished in second place in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference and district runners-up one year ago. Of those six returning players, four seniors on that list have started since their freshman year.
Those seniors include Gage Carraher, Zach Docter, Jesse Bradds and Luke Taggert. Also returning are juniors Tyler Williams and Justin Emery. Other seniors include Tyler Roberts and Blake Trueblood.
Bradds batted .475 last season in 27 games. He totaled 35 runs, 42 hits (four triples) and 13 walks. He had five steals and 36 RBIs. Carraher totaled 30 runs, 28 hits (two triples), 10 walks, 18 steals and 26 RBIs, with an batting average of .436.
Taggert batted .454 last season with 18 runs, 17 hits, 21 walks, 16 steals and 17 RBIs. Docter batted .363 with 20 hits, 14 walks, 12 steals and 16 RBIs.
As for Williams, he batted .400 last year with 13 runs, 18 hits (three doubles, three triples), 14 walks, 12 steals and eight RBIs.
Others looked for top productions are juniors Jason Jones (catcher/first base), Nick Wardlow (second base/pitcher) and Ben Waller (second base) and freshmen Jacob Burns (outfielder) and Kyle Marler (catcher/third base).
Whiteoak will go as far as their pitching will take them this season, and with 11 players on the roster who can pitch, the destination for the Wildcats has the possibility to travel a good distance.
Leading WHS, who went 20-8 overall, on the mound will be Carraher, followed by Docter and Taggert, giving the Wildcats one of the best pitching trios in the SHAC. Other pitchers who will be looked at for production will be Emery, Williams, Trueblood, Roberts and Wardlow.
Carraher went 8-1 in 55.2 innings. As a junior, he struck out 103 batters, with just five earned runs allowed. Carraher also added two saves, holding opponents to a .126 batting average with an ERA of 0.63 as he pitched seven complete games. Carraher holds numerous pitching records at WHS.
Taggert went 4-2 overall last year with an ERA of 0.47, holding opponents to a .150 batting average. He also tallied 61 strikeouts in 45 innings.
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Docter went 4-1 in '12. As a junior, Docter pitched 44 innings with an ERA of 2.39 and 67 strikeouts.
"It's no secret … a district championship isn't out of reach," WHS head coach Chris Veidt said, who enters his 22nd year as the Wildcat head coach. "That is what we are looking at to achieve, and after that … sky's the limit. With our pitching, we are capable of good things.
"We know what our seniors can do, we just need our juniors to step up and mature. So far, they have."
WHS lost All-Ohio player Michael Smith to graduation, who led WHS in hits and batting average, as Veidt said they have big shoes to fill with the loss of Smith.
Those shoes must be filled by four seniors who have been groomed for this season, as they began their varsity careers as freshmen.
"I want those four seniors (Carraher, Taggert, Docter and Bradds) to lead well," he said. "Four years ago, we were young, but we knew when they were freshmen we wanted them to play four years and play in every inning.
"All four are already better than they were last year, with three of them playing in competitive summer baseball. What I enjoy about this group is they help coach their teammates, as they are talented kids."
The Wildcats still think about finishing second last season in the SHAC standings to Fayetteville in Division II, but Veidt said he want this year's team to be like that Fayetteville team that was blessed with great play from their seniors last year.
"Look at the teams who beat us last year … that is who we want to be now," he said. "All of our seniors are good kids.
"I don't think I've been in this type of situation in 22 years … having players who have started so long at the varsity level. We want to keep challenging them. We bring up the district title game last season when we lose our focus, as we use that loss as motivation for this season."
Veidt said it is his players' decision on how far they want to go.
"I told them it is up to them if they want to be competitive at the state level," he said. "That is the challenge for the group, and they see it."
Assisting Veidt is DJ O'Cull. Veidt said "I don't know where we'd be without him," as O'Cull enters his 15th season as assistant.
Six players return to a team that finished in second place in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference and district runners-up one year ago. Of those six returning players, four seniors on that list have started since their freshman year.
Those seniors include Gage Carraher, Zach Docter, Jesse Bradds and Luke Taggert. Also returning are juniors Tyler Williams and Justin Emery. Other seniors include Tyler Roberts and Blake Trueblood.
Bradds batted .475 last season in 27 games. He totaled 35 runs, 42 hits (four triples) and 13 walks. He had five steals and 36 RBIs. Carraher totaled 30 runs, 28 hits (two triples), 10 walks, 18 steals and 26 RBIs, with an batting average of .436.
Taggert batted .454 last season with 18 runs, 17 hits, 21 walks, 16 steals and 17 RBIs. Docter batted .363 with 20 hits, 14 walks, 12 steals and 16 RBIs.
As for Williams, he batted .400 last year with 13 runs, 18 hits (three doubles, three triples), 14 walks, 12 steals and eight RBIs.
Others looked for top productions are juniors Jason Jones (catcher/first base), Nick Wardlow (second base/pitcher) and Ben Waller (second base) and freshmen Jacob Burns (outfielder) and Kyle Marler (catcher/third base).
Whiteoak will go as far as their pitching will take them this season, and with 11 players on the roster who can pitch, the destination for the Wildcats has the possibility to travel a good distance.
Leading WHS, who went 20-8 overall, on the mound will be Carraher, followed by Docter and Taggert, giving the Wildcats one of the best pitching trios in the SHAC. Other pitchers who will be looked at for production will be Emery, Williams, Trueblood, Roberts and Wardlow.
Carraher went 8-1 in 55.2 innings. As a junior, he struck out 103 batters, with just five earned runs allowed. Carraher also added two saves, holding opponents to a .126 batting average with an ERA of 0.63 as he pitched seven complete games. Carraher holds numerous pitching records at WHS.
Taggert went 4-2 overall last year with an ERA of 0.47, holding opponents to a .150 batting average. He also tallied 61 strikeouts in 45 innings.
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Docter went 4-1 in '12. As a junior, Docter pitched 44 innings with an ERA of 2.39 and 67 strikeouts.
"It's no secret … a district championship isn't out of reach," WHS head coach Chris Veidt said, who enters his 22nd year as the Wildcat head coach. "That is what we are looking at to achieve, and after that … sky's the limit. With our pitching, we are capable of good things.
"We know what our seniors can do, we just need our juniors to step up and mature. So far, they have."
WHS lost All-Ohio player Michael Smith to graduation, who led WHS in hits and batting average, as Veidt said they have big shoes to fill with the loss of Smith.
Those shoes must be filled by four seniors who have been groomed for this season, as they began their varsity careers as freshmen.
"I want those four seniors (Carraher, Taggert, Docter and Bradds) to lead well," he said. "Four years ago, we were young, but we knew when they were freshmen we wanted them to play four years and play in every inning.
"All four are already better than they were last year, with three of them playing in competitive summer baseball. What I enjoy about this group is they help coach their teammates, as they are talented kids."
The Wildcats still think about finishing second last season in the SHAC standings to Fayetteville in Division II, but Veidt said he want this year's team to be like that Fayetteville team that was blessed with great play from their seniors last year.
"Look at the teams who beat us last year … that is who we want to be now," he said. "All of our seniors are good kids.
"I don't think I've been in this type of situation in 22 years … having players who have started so long at the varsity level. We want to keep challenging them. We bring up the district title game last season when we lose our focus, as we use that loss as motivation for this season."
Veidt said it is his players' decision on how far they want to go.
"I told them it is up to them if they want to be competitive at the state level," he said. "That is the challenge for the group, and they see it."
Assisting Veidt is DJ O'Cull. Veidt said "I don't know where we'd be without him," as O'Cull enters his 15th season as assistant.