Laurel Hill baseball team focused on 2019 season

LAUREL HILL — No pressure. That is what second-year Laurel Hill baseball head coach, Melvin Hill, tells his team as it enters the 2019 season coming off a 6-15 finish in 2018.

“Last year it was all about respect,” Hill says. “This year, I want the guys to understand the process, and not focus on the wins and losses, but on getting better. We just need to be competitive and consistent.”

The Hoboes are a small 1A class with a tough schedule ahead. They will face many teams who are in a higher class, but Hill says he believes it will be good for his players.

“I want the guys to see great teams and believe we can compete with them,” Hill said. “We have a young team. They need to see that everything they do as ballplayers matters.”

Hill believes they are making a major turn and this season will prove that.

Laurel Hill’s pitching staff will be a major factor in the season. Hill said this is the most depth he has seen out of the team, which includes two seniors in the rotation.

“I’m very confident in their ability to get the job done and last longer into the game.”

In order for the pitching staff to go deeper, they will need run support from their lineup. This will be a team effort for the Hoboes.

“We don’t have a go-to guy yet. It‘s a next-man-up mentality,” Hill said. “That’s what I love about this team. There’s no selfishness. It’s always ‘what can I do to help the team?’”

Tyler Southard and Josh Senterfitt are two of the guys who will look to help the Hoboes go in the right direction. Southard, a senior, is a utility player who can operate anywhere his team needs him to. Senterfitt is an 8th grader who is stepping up big on varsity this season.

These two, along with the team’s other seniors, are just part of the puzzle pieces Hill will use to bring the Hoboes back to a winning tradition.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill baseball team focused on 2019 season