The Manila Lions baseball team enjoyed another successful season a year ago . The Lions finished second in the difficult 3A-3 Conference . They were champions of 3A-3 District Tournament , runner-up in the regional tournament to eventual state champion Harding Academy , and ended their season in the first round of the state tournament at 21- 8 . To replicate those achievements , first year coach Alex Richard says some guys will have to step up into bigger roles this season . “ After graduating a core group of players that have been a staple in the lineup for the past several years , the biggest challenge we face as a program is discovering our identity and seeing how we evolve as we find players to fill in the gaps left by our excellent group of seniors from last year . Our key to success will be having players , who have previously been role players in their career , develop into leaders on and off the field ,” Coach Richard said . A few seniors he knows he can depend on are Brayden Nunnally , Costner Smith , and Hayden Shelton . Nunnally will pitch , play the outfield and some third base , while batting near the top of the lineup . Nunnally can hit for power and find gaps and is consistent at the plate , in the field , and on the mound . He has been Manila ’ s most consistent pitcher over the years , and will give them quality outings every time . Nunnally keeps the ball low in the zone and hits his spots , especially in crucial situations . Costner Smith will play the outfield and first base , pitch , and also hit at the top of the lineup . Experience and attitude are what Richard describes as Smith ’ s biggest strengths . He has a very high on base percentage and can move runners whenever he needs to . Coach Richard is looking for Smith to be a leader on the infield and in the dugout this season . Hayden Shelton will also provide depth to the pitching staff this season , a role he is very comfortable with having pitched in big games in recent years . Shelton is not scared of the big moment , something he showed in the regional finals last year , keeping the Lions in the game against Harding Academy . Shelton has good movement on all his pitches , and keeps hitters off balance . He looks to keep adding more tools to have a big senior year . After that , Coach Richard says playing time is up for grabs , “ After losing seven starters , there are a lot of players from last year ' s team that will have to experience quality varsity playing time for the first time in their baseball careers . Almost every position on the field and in the lineup is open and will be awarded to whoever works the hardest to earn it .” He believes pitching and defense will guide the Lions this season , “ I believe our strength as a program will be defensively as well as doing the little things right to win ball games . We are not going to beat teams by hitting home runs , but our pitching and defense will keep us in every ball game and will utilize other offensive strategies to score . We will rely on the few that have been there before to help the younger guys mature as student athletes . I am looking forward to seeing what the season holds .” Look for Manila to battle at the top of the conference , earn a berth to the regional tournament , and make another postseason run .