Granton baseball team struggles with low numbers, inexperience

The Granton baseball team has always been small, but with only 10 players on this year’s team, this is the smallest it has ever been. With this and a much shorter schedule than in years past, this season will be one for building up the team and for increasing their skills for the next year.

Andrew Radloff is the coach of this year’s team of ten. A small group, he said the team will have its fair share of struggles due to losing some of their most experienced players since they were last on the field.

“It hurts,” he said. “The last year seniors, they would have been four year starters. We lost a lot of outfielders and one of our main pitchers. Losing that hurts.”

With so much to catch up on, Radloff said this year, the team’s main focus will be to work on their individual skills and figure out where their strengths lie. That will be another challenge, due to losing a year, but between the players, they will find a way.

“The freshmen, they’re more seventh grade in skill than freshmen,” he said. “When you miss going out one year, you lose skills. The biggest thing is cleaning up some basics, focus on the basics. The wins will eventually come.”

As of right now, Radloff said he is uncertain what positions everyone will end up playing for the team. With the low numbers, he said many of the players will likely be learning how to play multiple positions, and cycling between players on the pitching mound will help them develop their skills without wearing them out.

“That’s something that we’re still working on,” he said. “Some players have never done baseball before. We will have to switch it up to fill gaps that (the graduating players) left behind. I feel that about four of them are confident to be pitchers, but we will limit them to two innings at a time to save them for their next game.”

While he doesn’t know all of his athlete’s skills yet, Radloff said there are two players he expects will lead the team throughout the season. Seniors Kristin Strey and Riley Sternitzky, he said, have a lot of skill and power with the bat “I feel it is going to be positive,” he said. “Our top two players are Kristin Strey and Riley Sternitzky. Both will have been here three years since they were freshmen.”

Besides Strey and Sternitzky, the Bulldogs have another senior in Ethan Ryan. They will be playing alongside juniors Sam Martin and Justin Berg, sophomore Alex Gardner and freshmen Caleb Schoessow, Aydin Sternitzky, Anna Kayhart and Moy Mendoza.

Due to their numbers, the Bulldogs will only be playing six games this season. The Bulldogs played their first game against Marshfield Columbus on May 14 and competed again on May 21 against Owen-Withee and on May 25 against Spencer. The team will have its next game against Greenwood on June 1.

CHEYENNE THOMAS/STAFF PHOTO