Husky baseball brings energy to Moro

So far, the results have come in two wins over highly-touted Grant Union last week.

It is a long season, but the lone senior on the roster, Wyatt Stutzman, is sure that the Grant Union performance and outcome could do a lot to generate a buzz for this season.

“I think we are much more focused and dialed in on all of the little things,” Stutzman said. “We know what we are capable of, but we also understand that while playing fundamentally-sound is a key part, having us getting along, being positive and all on the same page is just as important. I know if we can be consistent in those areas, we can enjoy a very good season here.”

The Huskies won 13 games and finished 13th in the state with 194 runs scored, and all but the graduated Austin Kaseberg returns to the roster.

The Huskies, managed by Joe Justesen, have juniors Max Martin, Kyle Fields and Maverick Winslow, along with two freshmen in Diego Valdez and Tyler Jones.

In all, there are six sophomores, led by Bradley Moe, Treve Martin, Trey Homer, Brett Troutman, Jacob Justesen and Reese Blake.

“I think we have a little bit of everything to win a lot of games,” said Joe Justesen. “We have some speed throughout the lineup and some power and we have guys who can hit the ball to all fields. I think our offense is going to be exciting to watch. We can put a lot of runs on the scoreboard.”

The pitching will be a committee aspect where as many as seven guys can pitch in any game, as there is no true ace on the staff, especially given the shoulder injury to Fields.

So, coach Justesen and assistant coach Shawn Troutman will have to be skilled at mixing and matching the arms based on matchups in several games.

“We have pitchers, who can throw hard and some that can really hit their spots,” Stutzman said. “We don’t have like a top guy, but I think our pitchers are just as good as or even better than a lot of teams in our league. We need to play good defense and help our pitchers and do what we can to get our hitters back out scoring runs.”

The goal is to take a big first step to districts, which starts May 20 in The Dalles.

Whatever happens from there depends on league and establishing momentum as the year progresses.

“We got to know that anybody can beat anybody. It is baseball,” Winslow said. “We can’t go into any game feeling like we know we can beat this team or that team. We got to treat every opponent like they are better than us because we know we are going to get thier best.”

Coach Justesen sees the potential within this group and is excited about the possibilities.

“We know what we are capable of, we just have to put it all on the field,” coach Justesen said. “We can be great. We can be dominant. It is up to us to go out and perform and the rest will take care of itself. I know we are going to do well, but we will take it one game at a time.”

Sherman was in action earlier today in John Day for the three-day Grant Union Tournament.