2023 Baseball Magazine Preview | Page 25

The Bay Yellowjackets finished 10-9 and came out of the tough 2A-3 baseball conference to earn a trip to the regional tournament . This year Coach Nolan Smith ’ s crew hopes to compete for the conference title , earn another regional berth , and advance to the state tournament . To do so , Smith will rely on some familiar faces and some newcomers . Easton “ Duck ” Fletcher leads the returnees for the Yellowjackets . The all-conference and Best Under the Sun pitcher / utilityman batted . 412 with 18 RBIs and 18 stolen bases . His . 522 on base percentage allowed him to provide scoring opportunities at the top of the lineup . On the mound , Fletcher had a 2.15 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 61.2 innings . The senior has great control with good velocity and a nice off-speed pitch to mix in . He will look to be the league ’ s best pitcher . Landon Therrell will also be looked upon to be productive on the mound and at the plate . Therrell had a 4.92 ERA last year with 44 strikeouts in 27 innings . He has a good fastball and a 12 to 6 curve that Coach Smith calls his best pitch . Offensively , Therrell hit . 321 with 20 RBIs and a . 409 on base percentage . Therrell spent a significant amount of time at catcher last season and improved significantly at the position . He hopes to end the season as the best catcher in the conference . Reed Crocker is another returnee that was productive at the plate a season ago . Crocker hit . 315 with 13 RBIs and a . 422 on base percentage . The junior played second base last year but will move around where needed this season . With senior Korbyn Hoyt quitting the team , Crocker will likely get the first shot at being the team ’ s every day shortstop . Crocker and Therrell both emerged as key players on both sides of the diamond . A few newcomers will be looked upon to help immediately . Sophomore Cayden Richardson will add some pitching depth and will be a big addition to the lineup . Richardson has a strong arm that can be utilized anywhere on the infield . Freshmen Jaden Dacus and Cade Spencer have potential to help this season . Dacus has good power and provides speed where needed as a utility player in the field . Spencer has good vision at the plate and elite speed . He is tough out when he puts the ball in play and has a good glove . Kayden Hartley brings his gold glove back to centerfield and Seth Spencer returns as the team ’ s right fielder . Both were spectacular on defense a year ago . Hartley has tremendous wheels but needs to find his way on base more consistently for the Yellowjackets . Coach Smith knows the challenges ahead , but has faith in his group , “ Keys to success this year is staying ahead of batters and having some of our other pitchers outside of Duck that can win us some big games . We have a tough conference and anyone can be beaten on any given night . Consistency on the mound will determine how far we can go . I believe our offense will be better this year with the added depth and utilization we will have . I am looking forward to a great season with these awesome young men !” Look for Bay to compete at the top of the tough and balanced 2A-3 , earn a trip to regionals and possibly state .

The Bay Lady Yellow Jackets are looking to improve on last year ’ s season . Coach Derrick Stroh takes over in his first season as head coach to guide the Lady Jackets . He believes consistent pitching will be crucial for the team ’ s success this year . A cast of returnees look to lead Bay this season , starting with three ladies looking to share some of the pitching duties . KK Eldridge , Mady Sutter , and Lexi Morrison all look to keep offenses in check . Eldridge will play in the outfield when not pitching , as will Morrison , while Sutter will be in the infield . Hannah Price will handle the pitchers behind the plate and may play some infield as well . Kaidance Rolland and Aralyn Nix will hold down the corners on defense . Rolland will be at first , while Nix will handle the hot corner at third . Mercedes Lawrence and Savannah Basinger will patrol the outfield while a list of Lady Jackets will play multiple positions . Maddy Lawrence , Whitley Ashlock , Mackenzie Walsh , Savanah Oldman , and Vidalia McIntire are utility players that can play anywhere on the field . Coach Stroh would be wise to allow McIntire some innings on the mound as she is highly capable of bringing her experience pitching previously in the 5A East . With the 2A-3 softball conference being tough at the top , the Bay Lady Yellowjackets will battle for one of those final spots for a regional berth .