By Ralph Wilson/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Nathan Beaver of Hughesville throws during a high school baseball game against Southern Columbia on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at Bodine Park in Hughesville. Hughesville won 4-1.
Several starters have graduated, including three staff aces. That makes it easy for Hughesville to continue adopting the motto it established last year.
As the sign in the Bodine Park dugout says: “Hughesville vs. Everyone” The Spartans rode that slogan, acknowledging the disrespect and doubts surrounding both the HAC-III and District 4 Class AAA championships last season. The team also won his 20 games, a program record, and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
But while last year's team was loaded with seniors, Hughesville in 2024 will be very different. That's from experience. But different doesn't mean inferior, and this is a team eager to prove that.
The Spartans are certainly off to a good start, going 3-0 and coming off a 4-1 win in their league opener against Southern Columbia last Saturday.
“There's a lot of talented baseball players here who didn't get a chance because they were behind some guys. They're getting that chance now.” Hughesville coach Chris Kish said. “There's definitely a little bit of an edge to this group. They want to prove to themselves, not others, that there's a lot of really good baseball players here. We're very good. I think we can be a collective team, so let's see where it goes.”
It has HAC-III and no easy games. The non-conference schedule is also tough, but Hughesville accepted the challenge and showed promise through the first three games. The Spartans outscored those opponents 25-6, winning games against annual rival 6A Wilkes-Barre and defending District 2 Class AAA champion Lake Lehman.
Hughesville certainly lost a lot of good players from last year's team. What the Spartans are showing right now, and what they aspire to continue to show, is that they have some good players returning and growing.
“We are very motivated.” Trent Wetzel said this after overcoming a difficult situation with the bases loaded and no outs to end the game against Southern. “A lot of people say we lost a three-headed pitching monster, but I think we just want to prove ourselves right and prove them wrong.”
The field was the ultimate testing ground, and Hughesville made a statement early on through its play. Freshman pitcher Gladen Doll shined in his two starts, giving up just two runs and striking out 11 in 10 innings. Wetzel shut out both of those games, and standout catcher Tyler Wetzel had a great performance in his first varsity start against Lake-Lehman.
In the match against Southern, the defense made no mistakes, and the offense was well-balanced and productive. Six players hit at or above their average per game, resulting in a team batting average of .403. In the game against Southern, 10 players were on base. Yes, this is a small sample size, but it's also an encouraging sign.
With a lot of moving parts and a lot of young players starting for the first time, Hughesville winning these games early on was a big factor. Thinking you can win and actually thinking you can win are two different things. Hughesville showed early on that it can do that, and that confidence continues to grow. ”
“It motivates me because everyone thinks we can’t do it.” Dole said this on the mound after improving to 2-0. “Everyone on the field knows that the person next to them is the right person for the job. I'm really excited to see what we can do.”
Four full-time starters return from last year's squad, providing a blend of youthful potential and experience. And many of these first-time starters were instrumental last year, when Hughesville enjoyed its best season in program history. The players absorbed everything from watching their seniors not only win, but strive to win.
Now they practice with the same enthusiasm and play with the same determination. What's happening behind the scenes has so far been a huge success under everyone's radar. The bonus is that there is still a lot of progress to be made.
Although the record is perfect, Hughesville understands that its performance is not perfect. And that gives you a lot of areas to keep honing. But it's certainly nice to start strong and know that you can still get better.
Hughesville may be a different team this year, but they are also the defending champions. The Hughesville vs. Everybody theme really resonates in both the league and district as all rivals come after the Spartans.
“The biggest thing is that we were able to go 3-0 and 1-0 in league play, and it shows that we are not a finished product and have a lot of work to do.” Kish said. “If we were a finished product right now, I would be really concerned, but we are far from a finished product and there are a lot of areas we need to improve on.”
A testing site has been set up at the baseball field, and construction continues.
