2023 Baseball Magazine Preview | Page 83

With seven guys returning who played a lot of innings for the Westside Warriors last season , Coach Andy Parker hopes to improve on their 11-14 record and get to that next level . “ We have to throw strikes and play defense to win games ,” Coach Parker said . “ We return seven guys that played a lot of innings last year so hopefully that experience will serve them well this year . At times it may be tough for us to score runs so that puts a premium on pitching and defense for us .” Leading the way on the mound for the Warriors is Gaige Zaffarano . The senior finished 5-3 a year ago and has three pitches he can throw for strikes and eat up a lot of innings . Easton Baldridge had a 4-3 record last season using deceptive velocity and a good change-up to get outs for the Warriors . At the plate , Baldridge hit . 380 with 30 RBIs and three homeruns playing shortstop . Gage Wilbanks batted . 465 with three homeruns for the Warriors while playing catcher and shortstop . Wilbanks will also provide some depth to the pitching staff for Westside . Eli Whitmire hit . 324 last season , using his speed to steal 33 bases and patrol center field . Some newcomers may provide much needed help to the Warrior lineup . Freshmen Will Ferguson and Landon Webb will look to contribute this coming season . Ferguson can help defensively behind the plate , on the mound , and offensively in the middle of the order . Webb is a middle infielder that helps solidify the Westside defense . Senior Conner Diles has made huge improvements on the mound to provide the Warriors with much needed pitching depth . With the 4A-3 getting a new look this season , that may help the Westside Warriors get to that next step of reaching the regional tournament .

The Westside Lady Warriors ended last season in the first round of the 4A State Tournament with a 19-9 record . To replicate that in a wide open 4A-3 conference , Coach Bert Greenwell and crew will have to rely on a young but talented group of Lady Warriors . Two starters that are returning are Megan Hedger and Jada Diaz . Hedger is a center fielder with a strong arm and a strong bat , and Diaz is a catcher with a strong arm and some power at the plate . After that , Westside will have a lot of new faces in the lineup and in the pitching circle . Mckyna Craig will be one of the starting pitchers . Craig has good velocity with good movement on her pitches . Vada Watkins will also throw for the Lady Warriors . Watkins has good velocity with great control . Remi Crain will step in at shortstop , while Mattyx Cureton will land somewhere in the infield for Coach Greenwell ’ s team . “ We have to replace seven starters in the lineup . We will be very young but talented . Scoring runs might be a problem with this young team ,” Coach Greenwell explained . If the youngsters can step up and the Lady Warriors can find a way to score some runs , they will have a chance to return to the postseason . NEA Sports predicts the Westside softball team will be in the hunt in the 4A-3 conference .

Tanner Darr # 1

Westside Warriors

What sports do you play ? Basketball What is your favorite song ? Super Gremlin Who is your favorite singer ? Young Dolph Most memorable moment you have had as a player ? Having 31 points against the Wynne Yellow Jackets my senior year . Who has been your favorite teammate and why ? Spencer Honeycutt . He always made practice fun & everyone laugh . What team do you love to beat and can ' t stand to lose to ? Brookland Snap- tannerdarr1 Insta- tannerdarr23