BRENTWOOD BRUINS BASEBALL

The 2009 season is filled with question marks. We will be young and inexperienced. Sometimes the unknown can be good, because the players have no expectation to live up to and they are excited just for the chance to compete. We have only three returning starters from 2008. Senior David Hood, Senior Andrew Slusser and Junior Ryan Shelton are our most experienced players. David (.398) and Andrew (.337) had good junior years, and we need both to do as well or better in 2009.

Seniors Gavin O’Neal, Brian Hoff, Eric Hobbs and Kevin Lee have waited patiently for their opportunity, and we need them to rise to the occasion. We will look to juniors Dallas Wilson and Robby Ray, along with sophomore Tyson Ashcraft to add some punch to our lineup.

Team leadership and team chemistry are always very important to our success. Also crucial will be the willingness of this group to be coachable, stay healthy, and play unselfishly. "Team First" will be something we stress all season. Our players will be asked to play two positions in order to strengthen our depth. We must have several players to enjoy terrific seasons in order for us to be successful.

Areas of concern include defense, where only one player returns, starting centerfielder David Hoos. David is an excellent outfielder with good speed. The corner outfield positions are a major concern because we lack speed and experience. Ryan is one of our better athletes and we feel he will make the adjustment with ease. Overall team speed is a major concern because base stealing is a big part of our game. Offensive production is also a concern because of so few proven players.

Areas of strength include pitching, which is definitely our biggest strength. Until we can develop offensively, the pitching staff must carry our team’s hopes for a strong season. Junior Robby Ray was the District Left-handed Pitcher of the Year in 2008 and UT signee Andy Hillis have the potential to be our best 1-2 punch since Charles Lee and Seth Williams in 2003. The depth of the pitching staff also looks good, as seniors Gavin O’Neal, Kevin Lee and Eric Hobbs, along with junior Ryan Shelton and sophomores Kevin Stoffer and Tyson Ashcraft look to eat up a lot of innings.