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CLOVIS — Thursday at Bell Park, the Clovis baseball team was looking forward to spring.
Partly because Thursday was a gray day with temperatures topping out at about 35 degrees. Mostly because spring is the season offering a chance to show how much the Wildcats have grown.
After the 2018 team that tied a school record with 23 wins graduated 12 seniors, last year’s squad was left with almost no varsity experience. The 2019 Wildcats consisted of one senior, a few juniors and mostly sophomores who, while eager, had not yet learned how to play at that level.
And it was evident during the season’s early games. But steadily, those young ’Cats showed improvement, poise, and perhaps most importantly, confidence.
They finished their season with a doubleheader sweep of Roswell, and wound up 9-17.
The 2020 team, now loaded with varsity experience, is ready to improve on that in a big way.
“I think we can win district,” senior pitcher/infielder Zayvier Hartman said before Thursday’s chilly practice at Bell Park.
“I think, if we come together like a brotherhood, we can do it,” senior pitcher/outfielder Chris Muscato said before the practice.
Clovis’ sixth-year head coach Richard Cruce is cautiously optimistic, hoping the education his players gained last year will translate into success this season.
“We have, I think, eight players that got a lot of playing time coming back from last year,” Cruce said before Thursday’s practice. “So we’re looking for some bigger and better things.”
Cruce said a lot of his pitching staff will be by committee, but he does have some players already slotted for rotation assignments. Aside from Hartman and Muscato, there is fellow senior Matthew Rubio, along with juniors Norbert Archibeque and Josh Martin.
Positions around the diamond will likely be manned by platoons. Right now the catcher’s position will be shared by junior Donovan Usery and Rubio; first base by junior Johnny Jimenez and Hartman; second base by sophomore Anthony Garcia and junior Quincy Molina; shortstop by Garcia and Rubio; third base by Archibeque, Hartman and junior Lorenza Avila; and the outfield by Muscato, Martin, junior Zach Wheeler, sophomore Dillon Drake and sophomore Roman Galvan.
So, lineups could be mixed and matched from game to game.
“We’ll just figure out who’s hitting the best,” Cruce said.
Thus far in practices, the team seems to be shaping up well.
“We’re definitely better than last year,” Hartman said. “We’ve got a bunch of kids coming back on the mound.”
Clovis won’t exactly be easing into the season, which begins this Tuesday when the Wildcats visit Lubbock to open against a strong Coronado team.
“Coronado’s going to be good; Coach (Gary) Hix does a great job with them,” Cruce said. “They don’t return very many, but they play a lot of baseball together throughout the year and they’re going to be a solid ballclub. It’s going to be a tough one for us.”
Regardless of how the Wildcats fare Tuesday, they’re looking to be a better team with every game they play. And by late April, early May, the ’Cats are hoping their steady improvement shows in the win-loss columns and on the District 4-5A ladder.
“We looked at it the other day,” Cruce said. “We won nine games last year and we’re hoping to double that this year with what we’ve got coming back, to get to 18. 18 wins would be a great year for us. It’s a long season, there are going to be ups and downs, but with the group coming back there’s a lot of leadership. And hopefully we can take care of business.”