F.C. hardball excited for fresh season
March 29, 2022 at 8:36 p.m.
F.C. hardball excited for fresh season
By Chris Louden -
Coach Derek Stang returns for his fourth year as the skipper and his eighth year since returning to his alma mater to coach. Stang has a solid core of experience returning for his Cats.
Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference all-conference player Brant Ertel is back for his junior year and will lead the way for FC on the mound this spring.
Among Ertel's pitching feats in 2021 was a no-hit performance; he also locked in a 2.57 earned run average in 30 innings.
Stang will have Ertel slotted in at shortstop when he's not called upon to pitch. Senior Remington Watters is another all-EIAC player returning for FC in the middle infield, giving Stang a solid core defensively.
“We return a large number of players from last year and our number one goal as always is to win the EIAC and to win sectional,” stated Stang.
The Cats' offense lost two starters from a year ago, but the coach is not worried about the talent drop-off.
“I have a new catcher this season, (junior) Xander Rodriguez, who is outstanding. With him coming on, that will move Austin Short to third base. Trevor Moizuk is also new to the team, he has a solid arm for our rotation and will see time in the infield,” said Stang.
Ertel will get the nod as the number one starter this season. Senior Adam Daugherty and Moizuk, a junior transfer from Oldenburg Academy, will also be called upon to start this season. The bullpen will consist of Hunter Geis, senior JD Stokes, sophomore Eli Butt and freshman Avery Harrison to start the season.
The starting lineup will remain close to last season's team. First base will be manned by Daugherty, with Watters, Ertel, and the senior Short rounding out the infield. The outfield will have all three starters returning, with senior Kristian Prows and junior Chase Burton available for right and center; left field will be manned by the senior Geis, who swiped six bags in nine attempts a year ago.
Ertel hit a robust .507 at the dish last year with an excellent 1.26 OPS and 25 runs batted in. Watters and Prows flirted with .400, the latter in fewer plate appearances, and Burton hit .338 with 17 RBI; that trio all had OPS (combined slugging and on-base percentages) totals above .880.
Filling out the dugout for the varsity squad are senior Sam Westerfeld, junior Joe Sacksteder and sophomore backstop Isaiah Lee. Jeremy Kuntz and Scott Carie are assisting Stang and former catcher Landon Bundy is helping with statistics.
A large group of young men showed up for tryouts this year, so much so that the FC mentor had to winnow that number down to a more manageable count. As such, the junior varsity team is loaded with members of the Class of 2023 and can expect a solid campaign.
Franklin County finished 17-8 overall last season and 10-4 in conference games, good for second place in the EIAC behind conference and sectional champion Batesville. Stang is 43-22 as the head coach for the Cats and holds an EIAC record of 31-11.
The Cats open at Richmond Saturday morning.
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Coach Derek Stang returns for his fourth year as the skipper and his eighth year since returning to his alma mater to coach. Stang has a solid core of experience returning for his Cats.
Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference all-conference player Brant Ertel is back for his junior year and will lead the way for FC on the mound this spring.
Among Ertel's pitching feats in 2021 was a no-hit performance; he also locked in a 2.57 earned run average in 30 innings.
Stang will have Ertel slotted in at shortstop when he's not called upon to pitch. Senior Remington Watters is another all-EIAC player returning for FC in the middle infield, giving Stang a solid core defensively.
“We return a large number of players from last year and our number one goal as always is to win the EIAC and to win sectional,” stated Stang.
The Cats' offense lost two starters from a year ago, but the coach is not worried about the talent drop-off.
“I have a new catcher this season, (junior) Xander Rodriguez, who is outstanding. With him coming on, that will move Austin Short to third base. Trevor Moizuk is also new to the team, he has a solid arm for our rotation and will see time in the infield,” said Stang.
Ertel will get the nod as the number one starter this season. Senior Adam Daugherty and Moizuk, a junior transfer from Oldenburg Academy, will also be called upon to start this season. The bullpen will consist of Hunter Geis, senior JD Stokes, sophomore Eli Butt and freshman Avery Harrison to start the season.
The starting lineup will remain close to last season's team. First base will be manned by Daugherty, with Watters, Ertel, and the senior Short rounding out the infield. The outfield will have all three starters returning, with senior Kristian Prows and junior Chase Burton available for right and center; left field will be manned by the senior Geis, who swiped six bags in nine attempts a year ago.
Ertel hit a robust .507 at the dish last year with an excellent 1.26 OPS and 25 runs batted in. Watters and Prows flirted with .400, the latter in fewer plate appearances, and Burton hit .338 with 17 RBI; that trio all had OPS (combined slugging and on-base percentages) totals above .880.
Filling out the dugout for the varsity squad are senior Sam Westerfeld, junior Joe Sacksteder and sophomore backstop Isaiah Lee. Jeremy Kuntz and Scott Carie are assisting Stang and former catcher Landon Bundy is helping with statistics.
A large group of young men showed up for tryouts this year, so much so that the FC mentor had to winnow that number down to a more manageable count. As such, the junior varsity team is loaded with members of the Class of 2023 and can expect a solid campaign.
Franklin County finished 17-8 overall last season and 10-4 in conference games, good for second place in the EIAC behind conference and sectional champion Batesville. Stang is 43-22 as the head coach for the Cats and holds an EIAC record of 31-11.
The Cats open at Richmond Saturday morning.
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