When it comes to the sport of baseball, whether you are talking about t-ball or professional, the key ingredient to success is having a solid "up-the-middle" presence. The 2014 Aurora Houn' Dawg baseball team finds itself replacing all three key positions, as they graduated shortstop Dallas Peterson, second-baseman Spencer Shreve and center-fielder Andrew Parker.
Those three not only combined to form a solid defensive core, but also were Aurora's offensive leaders. Peterson hit at a .511 clip for the season, with 14 doubles and five home-runs and 26 runs-batted-in. Shreve and Parker added 19 hits combined and stole a total of 7 bases for the Houn' Dawgs.
"The senior class will be missed," said Aurora head baseball coach James Hoffman, who enters his third year at Aurora High School and has a combined record of 13-32. "We will have some key spots to fill with their departure."
Aurora returns just three seniors for the 2014 season, another sign that Hoffman will be relying on underclassmen to get things done. The three seniors, however, will all play vital roles in the team's success. Kelyn Baker will be expected to provide solid defense up the middle, as he mans one of the middle-infield positions. Hoffman said Baker has shown much improvement in the off-season and has definite leadership qualities this team will need.
Tristan Dunning, who earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors as an outfielder as a junior, will potentially hit at the top of the Houn's order and man one of the outfield positions.
"Tristan worked extremely hard last year," said Hoffman. "Early in the season last year he was not in the starting line-up and came to me and asked what he needed to do to crack the line-up. By the end of the season, he was our everyday lead-off, hitting .392 and gaining all-conference honors."
The third senior is Kage Etherton. Etherton is projected to be one of Aurora's top competitors on the mound.
"Kage is a very capable pitcher with good movement on his pitches and an above average breaking ball," Hoffman said. "If he throws the baseball like he is capable of, he will be very tough on the mound."
Two juniors who look to get solid playing time are Patrick Wheeler and Jacob Woody. Wheeler saw success his freshman year, but struggled some his sophomore season.
"It is evident through Patrick's work ethic and attitude this off-season that he has learned from his sophomore experience," said Hoffman, "and is taking the correct approach for his junior year." Wheeler is listed as a utility player, with experience behind the plate, at first base and as an outfielder for the Houn' Dawgs.
Woody, according to Hoffman, had some success on the mound as a freshman, but struggled last year. He will be counted on to be one of the players to take the hill every time he is asked. His solid off-season leaves reason to believe he is up for the task.
Four sophomores earned valuable varsity experience last year and will be expected to step right in this year in order for Aurora to find success. They include Billy Meredith, Tyler Moore, Tanner Schmidt and Trevor Pace.
Key freshmen listed by Hoffman that could see early varsity playing time are Eric Shoenberger, Kaleb Baker and Zach Shoemaker.
Hoffman has optimistic thoughts for the 2014 Houn' Dawg baseball season, as the team focuses on an "us" mentality.
"We want to make sure we do everything on our side of the game to put us in a place to compete on a daily basis," he said. "We stress that everything in our world is 'process' based and to be successful, we have to focus on the steps in the process. If we focus on the process, typically when it comes down to the end, we will be in a position to win ball games."
Aurora will open the season with its Jamboree on Saturday, March 15, in Willard. The Houn's will scrimmage against Willard and Kickapoo. The regular season begins on Monday, March 24, when the Houn's play in the Right off the Bat (ROBT) Tournament in Clever.
