By Chris Parker
Bradleyville baseball has a new head coach in Ronnie Ray taking over this season. He will look to turn around a program that went winless in 2021.
“I expect this team to surprise a lot of teams that we play,” Ray said. “I don’t have a projected record for the season, but I do have a high level of projected grit and toughness.”
Bradleyville will have 16 players on the roster this year, but just four are returning from last season.
“Of our 16 players, only four are returning from last spring,” Ray said. “That being said, we have added 12 new members to our program since last year. Interest is increasing. Increased interest will bring increased talent. Many of these new recruits participated in open fields all summer, player development training sessions twice a week in the fall, and a throwing program twice a week before school.”
Eli Harmon (sophomore utility), Colin Pelton (senior shortstop) and Brett Cronin (junior left field/third base) will be team leaders.
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Ray on Harmon: “Eli will be our leader on the mound and at the plate. He bats and throws left-handed. Eli throws consistent strikes. He has improved his velocity since last year, but his best pitch is a change-up that falls off the table. He also mixes in a pretty good curveball. He has also shown to have the most consistent solid contact at the plate.”
Ray on Pelton: “Colin is a defensive specialist on the diamond. His ability to cover such a large area at shortstop will cause a problem for a lot of batters this year. Colin will provide the most experience for the team and excels in the position as the infield leader.”
Ray on Cronin: “Brett is the engine of our team. Brett will be a top contender for top batting average, stolen bases, and fielding percentage. Brett will set the standard of overall effort level for our team.”
Harmon, Cronin and freshman Hunter Rogers will be the team’s top pitchers. Harmon, Sonny Guerin and Christian Frizzel all are in the mix for time behind the plate.
“Our strength will be self-discipline and eagerness to improve,” Ray said. “A lot of my guys have been at every open field in the summer, fall conditioning and training camps, as well as morning throwing programs before school. What we lack in experience, we make up in a drive to succeed. It is likely that the Bradleyville Eagles will be the hardest workers on the field every day.”
The full roster looks like this:
Seniors: Colin Pelton, Philip Davis, Sonny Guerin, Gunner Fisher
Juniors: Brett Cronin, Lyle Bumgardner
Sophomores: Eli Harmon, Jordan Strain, Jerry Florez, Trent McHaffie, Christian Frizzel, Ian Shelton
Freshmen: Hunter Rogers, Dylan Pelton, Jimmy Powell, Zander Cook
Bradleyville opens the regular season on Mar. 18 at home against Sparta.
