By Chris Parker
Cabool baseball has a new coach, but a familiar name taking over this season. Brandon Somoza will move up to the head coaching position after serving as the assistant coach the past two seasons. He is tasked with turning around a Cabool baseball program that has not won double-digit games since 2013.
“It is all about getting the students to come out and play. At times last season we only suited up 10 players. We have to build depth at pitcher and put together a lineup that is full of tough outs one through nine. The good news is we have a strong core to build around and several students that have not played in a year or two coming out this spring. If our numbers hold true we will have a full JV squad this year,” Somoza said.
Juniors Quincy Flanagan and Kaevin Jackson return after earning all-conference honors last season.
Flanagan earned second-team all-conference honors and will play second base and pitch this year. He hit .382 last season.
“Quincy’s baseball IQ is through the roof. He knows the situations, statistics and where/what to do no matter where the ball may be hit,” Somoza said. “Quincy had the best fielding percentage last year while playing second base. I am going to look at our options at every position this year and put our players in the best position to help our team. Q is also one of our top pitchers returning this year. He is going to continue to improve on the mound and give opposing batters problems.”
Jackson earned honorable mention all-conference honors at catcher and will return to that position. He hit. .309 last year.
CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO ALL THE SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS
“Kaevin is a natural leader and loves the game more than anyone I have ever met before. He is going to continue to frame pitches and nail runners attempting to steal this year,” Somoza said. “Kaevin loves the game of baseball and will do whatever it takes to make our team better. He has organized off-season open fields and workouts for anyone that might be interested in playing this spring. He has been a huge help in boosting our numbers and is always ready to put in the work.”
Trevor Atkins (junior third base/pitcher), Hunter Sparks (senior shortstop/pitcher), Logan Primazon (junior centerfield), Braxton Davis (sophomore utility/pitcher) and Zach Beller (senior) are the other top players to watch for Cabool.
Atkins will be one of the team’s top pitchers.
“(Atkins) had a solid year on the mound and pitched a one hit shutout in the first round of district play. His ERA last season was 2.12 with 51 strikeouts. We are going to put an improved defense behind him this year so those numbers are going to be even better. He brings emotion and high energy to our club and has the ability to spark a rally just by cheering on his teammates. This is his year to step up and lead,” Somoza said.
Sparks was the team’s second-leading hitter.
“(Sparks) had a good year on the mound and was our second leading hitter at .373. Hunter’s best moment came in a loss in the Plato Tournament. He pitched a complete game loss to Houston 1-0. He has the potential to be one of the best players in the conference,” Somoza said.
Primazon was a leader in the outfield and will be looked to again this year.
“(Primazon) was our most outstanding outfielder all year. His range in the outfield stretches from left to right; he gets to it all. Logan drew 18 walks last year and had 25 stolen bases. A key focus for him this year is increasing his batting average and chasing down the school stolen base record. He tied the single game state record last year and broke the school record last season,” Somoza said.
Davis brings versatility to the team.
“This kid does it all and more. He played everywhere but first and catcher last year. He is ready to go in any situation we need him and he has some pop in his bat. As a freshman he tied for the team lead in home runs,” Somoza said.
Eli Garner (junior), Cole Reese (junior), Dalton Overby (senior), Adrien Ortega (senior), Will Johnson (junior), Daniel Hutcheson (junior) and several others are going to be fighting to round out the varsity line-up this year.
“We have seven returning starters and more depth than we have seen in several years. Our ball players want to see each other be successful and to turn the tide of Bulldog Baseball,” Somoza said.
Somoza will look for his team’s hitting and defense step up to support a strong pitching staff.
“We had three solid pitchers last year but our defense let them down more often than not. As a team we have to not give away outs. On top of this we have to hit the ball better this season,” Somoza said. “Our six, seven, eight and nine hitters last year combined to bat under .100 for the year. Once a team scored two runs on us it felt like we were down nine.”
An experienced core should lead to a stronger season for Cabool baseball.
“I feel that we will improve this year due to our core group going into their third year of varsity baseball. Each year they have shown growth and now we have enough players coming out to build depth around them,” Somoza said.
Cabool opens the season on Mar. 20 at home against Gainesville.
