by David Grimes
With only five starters back and a host of new talent, the William Fleming baseball team will be extremely young, as they prepare for the upcoming season under new head coach Jason Hall.
Ready to hit the diamond for the Colonels are freshmen Dillon Schrader, Zach Whitley, Jalil Holmes, Richard Goad, Anthony Sledd and Billy Eaton. Sophomores Kemonte Gaskin, Ethan Hilton and Devante Terry. Juniors Jesse Ferguson, Jabari Webb, Mike Stuart, Dontae Harvey, Harold Cheridieu, Tyler Chumbley, Drannan Altizer, Joseph Ray, Justin Jackson, Andre Cardwell, Ollie Howie and Will Haifield, along with seniors Julian Johnson, Jamal Wilson and KJ Sims.
When asked which players he thought would made an impact this season, Hall said, “Justin Jackson – 11th Grade. He has a great arm and potential to be a quality starter for us this year on the mound. Drannan Altizer – 11th Grade. He was thrown into the fire last year and caught every game and did a great job; he has a year under his belt and the desire to be the best. We are excited to see what happens with him this year. We have a great class of freshmen and sophomores that we will be keeping a close eye on this year.”
“This year’s team is a different team; a young team. This year we want to develop a team mentality. Of course we want to have a winning season. Who doesn’t want to see that? But more importantly, we want to put William Fleming Baseball on the map. We want people to notice that there is something exciting happening with WF baseball,” Hall stated.
The Colonels are young and will take advantage of the desire that such players have to play hard but being young and embarking on a season with more new faces than old will also provide plenty of challenges.
The Colonels see their top game of the season being with city-rival and Western Valley District foe Patrick Henry. “What a great rivalry,” added Hall. “So many of the players have grown up with each other, it’s hard not to circle that game.”
“I am excited about this team and the chemistry. We have great leaders in the upper class, with
promising talent in the younger grades. I am excited to see what will develop over the next
three months,” Hall noted.
