After winning the 2015 Class 1A state championship, it will be hard for the Dove Creek Bulldogs to top last season.
But with the Bulldogs returning almost every player from the last year’s squad, they’ll certainly try.
Their lone graduate was catcher Alex Ogas, but head coach Curtis Garver said that senior Kyle Schultz and sophomore Derek Kibel are prepared to suit up behind the plate to fill the void.
“We’re going to move things around and get those guys some good reps there,” he said. “I have a couple of young kids that are looking at the catcher spot as well, so we have some options there.”
The Bulldogs also have options at pitcher, as they return four players with experience on the bump in Jordan Ernst, Colin Hobbs, Beau Hemphill and Schultz.
Garver noted that all four pitchers play on the infield, so it’s easy for him to shuffle them around.
“Our outfield is not bad either,” he continued. “We’re returning Case Baughman, who did really well in the outfield, and Derek (Kibel) can play in the outfield as well.”
With last year’s championship lineup nearly completely intact, the Bulldogs have high expectations. But their lofty goals don’t necessarily make them feel pressured.
“I don’t really feel any pressure, and I don’t think the kids do either,” said Garver. “They know they had to work pretty hard last year to get where they were, and it didn’t come easy.”
Garver noted that even though they won the state championship, the Bulldogs finished at .500 with a 12-12 record. He pointed to the Bulldogs’ schedule, which includes games against bigger schools like Montezuma-Cortez, but said that they are scheduled for a reason.
“One of my main things is trying to get them to see those faster pitchers, those better pitchers that throw hard and can mix in a changeup and curveball,” he explained. “We don’t usually see it at the 1A level, so it’s nice to see pitchers at those bigger schools like Cortez so we can get experience batting and take it and run with it when we play schools our size.”
The Bulldogs began practice on Monday, February 29, and they kick of the 2016 season at Shiprock today at 3 p.m.