Rick Whittington didn’t know what to expect from his team.
With losing four seniors from last year’s team, the Kinder High baseball coach knew that inexperienced players were going to have to step up. Whittington didn’t know that his players would be stepping up this early in the season.
“I really didn’t know for sure this early in the year,” Whittington said. “Having to replace four seniors in our lineup, I really didn’t know what they could actually do until game time. You always have players who have wonderful practice on offense but who can’t do it as well when the time comes.”
Those younger players have stepped up as Kinder has begun the season 4-1 overall, including winning two of three games at last weekend’s Westlake Tournament.
In Saturday’s 9-0 victory over DeRidder, Kinder’s offense was efficient from start to finish.
The Yellow Jackets plated three runs in the first and kept adding to its lead by adding two more runs in the third, one more in the fourth and then three more in the sixth.
“It is very important to get off to a fast start offensively,” Whittington said. “That allows you to continue to put pressure on them each inning.”
Kinder third baseman Jhyran King led the way by going 2-for-2 with four runs scored, 3 RBI, a triple and a home run. Griffin Cooley also had a two-run home run while catcher Tanner Mouhot went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Kinder’s pitching was solid as well in the victory as Brayden Guillory and Landon Schmitz combined for a four-hit shutout while striking out 12 batters.
“Our pitching staff has been very impressive,” Whittington said. “Everyone wants to talk about his velocity. I want to talk about their work effort and strikes. We concentrate on throwing all pitches for strikes and being able to hit their spots. They have been doing a great job.”
Despite the strong start to the season, Whittington still believes that his team still has plenty to improve on. The veteran coach cites “situational hitting, bunting, defense, pitching” are all areas that Yellow Jackets need to work on as the season progresses.
“Baseball is a marathon and not a sprint,” Whittington said. “Our focus will continue to get better in all aspects and become closer as individuals that will develop into a better team.”
