Boys, girls prepare for Richards baseball season

Even though all its players have not been able to practice, that hasn’t stopped the Richards High School baseball team from preparing.

Head coach Bill West said some had been practicing for three weeks while others were unable to because they were still playing for the boys basketball team. The first baseball game was cancelled because the boys basketball season extended to Feb. 25, when the Panthers lost to Aquilla in a playoff game.

Twenty-one games are on the baseball schedule, about five more than last year, West said. The team will compete in tournaments that he said “will definitely help get them prepared for district games.”

Among the newcomers are Tanner and Colton McCarty, brothers who transferred from Huntsville. “They’ve played,” the coach said. “They’re pretty good players.”

Liam Wilson and Colton McCarty, both right-handers, will be among the starting pitchers. “The key will be the development of new pitchers,” he said.

Senior Marissa Martin returns to the team, while freshman Laney Stange has joined. Stange played for the girls basketball team, which did not reach the playoffs.

“We should have a pretty good team,” West said, noting that he expects the squad to be “more balanced and more experienced.”