The Batters’ Eye: Baseball Opens Season at Home vs. Oconee County

On Tuesday February 13th, the Walnut Grove Varsity Baseball Team opened their season vs. Oconee County. The game was held at Walnut Grove’s field, and Walnut Grove won 5 to 0. 
​by Drew Caraway

Game Recap 
The Warriors big win over Oconee County was a great start for the season. Drew Baker and Sawyer Bradford lead the team in hitting, going 2 for 3. Cade Trinkle led the team in runs with 2, and four different players had RBI’s: Sawyer Bradford, Drew Baker, Branson Blalock, and Garrett Wasson. 

Four different pitchers appeared for the Warriors. Branson Blalock pitched two innings, allowed two hits, one walk, and got one strikeout with nine batters faced. Drew Baker pitched two as well, allowing one hit, one walk, and also tallying one strikeout with eight batters faced. Thomas Burke also pitched two innings, but was more successful, tallying three strikeouts in eight batters faced, but also allowing two hits and no walks. Sam Martell finished up the box score with one inning pitched, zero hits or walks allowed, and one strikeout in four batters faced. 

Allen, Bradford, and Baker’s Insight
Coach Allen, the head coach of the baseball team, was asked about this team’s “most valuable asset.” He said, “I think this year’s most valuable asset is our senior class, we’ve got a big senior class, probably one of the biggest we’ve ever had. It’s not just that there’s a lot of them, it’s that we’ve got a lot of the right pieces, and they’ve done a good job setting the tone on a daily basis and leading by example for our younger guys to follow.” However, when asked about how the team will do, he says, “You never know. We [team, coaches, fans] won’t know that until the end of the year, but I will say this year’s team has had a really good offseason, we’ve had a really good preseason.” 

On the contrary, Andrew Baker thinks, “I think we’re going to do great this year and surprise and upset a lot of people. [We’ll] do things Walnut Grove has never done before.” Baker was also asked about how he prepares for games. He notes that “praying before the game and listening to certain songs is big for me.” He continues by saying, ”wearing the correct shorts and socks is also what I'm big about [and] how early I get there. When I do all of those things I feel extremely confident [for the game].“

No one has impressed Coach Allen so far, but according to Sawyer Bradford, a senior on the team, thinks that Davis Hunt has done well. He says, “Honestly probably Davis Hunt, Big Dave [his nickname]. He’s a younger catcher, but he has a lot of fundamental skills, they’re really nice. He’s also just a good personality on the team.”

Luckily, all three can agree on the same thing. The senior class and the team chemistry is the “MVP."

The Warriors home opener went as planned. A dominant win to start the season. They play next on Friday. They have a homestand vs. Pope on the 16th and Kennesaw Mountain and Sequoyah on the 17th. Good Luck Warriors.