Editor’s note: Montezuma Head Baseball Coach wrote this piece about the season after his team’s season-ending 7-2 loss to HLV on Saturday, July 18.
By Josh Anderson
Head Baseball Coach
Last night was one of those nights where you can’t really explain things.
I am grateful for this team and the memories that were made this season. My heart breaks for these kids on the way their season ended, but I wouldn’t trade one kid for anyone else in our conference.
I told them to use this as fuel to work even harder for next year.
It started out with us working so hard in our off-season. We had great attendance during our off-season programs and then were shut down due to COVID. No one really knew what to do so everyone stayed home and rode out the storm.
We had two weeks to get our pitchers ready for our first game.
All season our coaches talked about the potential our team had and at first I think our players didn’t buy into how good they really were. We showed flashes but couldn’t play good baseball consistently. Toward the end of the season they saw their potential.
Cam Johnson, the new kid as we always called him, was the answer at first base we had been looking for. He came in as a quiet young man and every day continued to amaze me.
He had arm issues at the beginning of the year which didn’t allow us to utilize him as a pitcher. He has very quick hands and saved so many errors for our infielders at first base. Numerous times he was at practice early taking extra swings and working on his craft. He can hit for power and started to utilize all parts of the field as a hitter. He’s a hard-worker and a very smart baseball player.
Kodie Strong was our catcher last year and did an excellent job behind the plate. Shoulder surgery moved him to second base. He was batted for all of last year because he struggled at the plate.
This year he became one of our best hitters and did many of the little things that made our team great. Unselfishly he would sacrifice bunts to advance runners and became a better second baseman throughout the year.
Owen Cook just gets better and better each game. He was big for us on the hill this year as well as playing in the field. He is as competitive as they get. This is a kid that works very hard and puts a lot of pressure on himself to become better each game.
He hit the ball very well and filled in great at the two spot in our order. A young man that does all the little things to make big things happen on our team. A strong arm and a kid that can hit to all parts of the field. He has a very bright future for our team.
Brayden Arendt is one of the most unselfish kids I have ever coached. He will do anything and play anywhere, the kid just wants to play. His speed will be missed next year. Moving from catcher to third base really helped our team and he got better daily at that position.
If he reached first, second base was a given because he could steal on anyone. A kid that really turned this program around and could play any position. Great bat, great pitcher, great hands and an even better kid to coach.
Joey Kercheval developed into a solid outfielder this year. He got so much better at reading balls and getting in the right position to make plays.
His arm strength improved and even more importantly he started hitting the ball and came up with a lot of clutch hits. He really came around with the bat this year and is another kid with a year of experience under his belt that will make us that much better for next year. Joey will anchor our outfield next year soaks up knowledge each and every game to get better.
Cole Watts is a great kid and a very hard worker. He’s another person that puts a lot of pressure on himself to not only make himself better but the team as well. His speed not only helps on the bases but allows him to cover a lot of ground in the outfield.
Cole can pitch and play third base as well. He hit in the middle of our lineup this year and that really allowed him to drive in runs. A very unselfish kid that can steal bases and hit for power this year. He’s a fun kid to watch and worth the price of admission.
Preston Hirsch didn’t start for us until the middle of last year. He is one of the best right fielders in the conference. He does a great job of coming in on the ball and making plays. His arm strength got better and better as the season went on.
Preston was great kid to have on our team and he will be missed. A very unselfish kid that just wanted to play baseball. He hit the ball well for us and did the little things to make our team better. He could eat up innings on the mound as well and I thank him for all he’s done with our program.
Connor Van Zee went from outfield, to second base to become a very solid catcher for us. He embraced the role as our battery behind the plate. His play calling and knowledge grew throughout the year. His arm strength and ability to throw runners out and keep them close to the base got better every game.
Connor is always hustling and working hard each game. He is another one who hit the ball well this year and continues to be a solid baseball player. Connor is a tough kid and was a leader for us. He wants to win and make people better.
Eddie Burgess was our horse on the mound. If we had a big game he was our man. A big strong kid that wants to win not only every game but every pitch. Eddie hit leadoff this year which allowed him to get on base, score runs and get our team going.
Eddie has some of the quickest hands and makes the tough plays look routine. He can hit for power and runs exceptionally well for his size. His high baseball IQ allowed us to have another coach on the field. His future is very bright for our program.
Our program is more than just these nine young men. We were able to bring 8th graders up this year due to COVID and those kids saw how our program works and will hit the ground running next year.
Our JV players made our varsity players better by working hard during practice and those kids grew every game. They were able to win some games at the JV level and watching them grow each day at practice and in games makes me excited for not only their future but the future of our program in the years to come.
There are many underclassmen that will compete for a starting spot next year and continue to drive our program in the right direction next year. Many of those kids love the game of baseball and just want to do whatever it takes to get extra reps and play the game. That excites me as a coach.
I want to thank our coaches, John Beck, Cal Smith and Tim Burgess for all the hard work and time they put into this season. Our goal as coaches is to get the most out of our kids and continue to make our program better.
Not only are we developing baseball players but we are developing men as well and they do an excellent job. Like I stated before, I am very proud of these boys for their leadership and hard work. I wouldn’t trade any of our players for anyone else in the conference.
I am excited for the future of our program and the kids that want to step up and take a starting role next year. Thank you to our two seniors and I wish them nothing but the best in their future. Montezuma Baseball will be exciting to watch next year!