ManitouDan2 wrote:I dont think so unless Howard in the circle gets injured , then their # 2 is really good. Faith is dominant for this area , great movement , great change , throw its about 60 . Shes the real deal , one of the best , maybe the best pitcher this area ( scioto co ) has ever seen . I cant think of anyone better in the past 6-8 years. Girl from Valley is close , but Faith's resume of a state championship makes it hard to argue against her .
The pitching will obviously be there, but let's not forget that Burg sported quite possibly the best defense in the state last year, and had an offense that could hang with the best of them. Depending on how a couple of last year's underclassmen mature they can be just as good as last year. I won't call second base an area of concern, but it is an area where someone is going to have to step up. There are some players capable of doing it. It is just a matter of who, and what do you take away from the outfield if you move someone in there? I don't know a lot about the freshman class coming in, but I'm hearing that a few of them can contribute.
The 3 big losses on defense are SS, CF, and 1B.
Just speculating from here on:
Moving Coleman to SS is probably the first move leaving second base up for grabs.
The Claxon girl is capable of filling first base and swapping out with Howard in the circle on occasion. She seems to have the bat to fill the role, but has big shoes to fill there defensively. It is easy to underestimate just how good Salyers was there. Automatic is an understatement. Just throw it in her direction, and she will make you look good.
CF is a question mark. Reyes could really go get them out there. Risner could fill it, but I imagine she is an option at second base which would leave another opening in the outfield.
Seniors Swimm and McQuay are both likely starters somewhere in the outfield as well.
3B and Catcher should be on lockdown with returning senior starters Klaiber and Bergan. Both have big bats in the middle of the lineup.
The lineup has potentially 6 senior starters, great pitching, ample power, lots of speed, and championship experience.
Scoring lots of runs and giving up very few is a recipe for success. There are big expectations for this team to go very deep into the playoffs.