Coach: Aaron Curfman (2nd Year with Bellingham, 1-18 record)
Home Field: Joe Martin Field
Last Season: 1-18 (0-13 Conference)
Key Losses: IF Kyle Payne (.400 OBP, .400 SLG, 1 HR), C Nick Posey (.311 AVG, .400 SLG, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI), OF Nathan Pursley (.255 AVG, 4 2B, 7 RBI, 7 SB), P/IF Shane Davis (26 IP, 12 K’s), P/IF Everett Simpson (.234 OBP, 3 SB, 2 RBI, 23 IP, 14 K’s).
Top Returnees: IF Cody Tolle, IF/P Manny DePalma, OF/P Landon Kerzman, IF Connor Anderson, OF/P Lucas Bogaards.
Pitchers and Catchers: The Red Raiders used 10 different players on the mound this season, but Coach Curfman believes he has a core group that can get the job done at pitcher. Junior Manny DePalma looks to be the ace of the staff after throwing 22 innings last season. Senior Cody Tolle only pitched a handful of innings last season, but he has developed nicely and could turn into a very good #2 starter. Junior Lucas Bogaards also showed a lot of promise last season on the bump, and he’ll be another fine pitcher. Finding a catcher might become more difficult, but Bellingham could look to sophomore Connor Anderson. There are also three freshmen catchers, so the Red Raiders could be stocked well for the future.
Infield: DePalma (.321 OBP) returns at shortstop, and he will be looked upon to lead the infield. Tolle (.375 OBP, 3 SB) can also play either of the middle infield positions. Anderson played second base last season, but could be moved to catcher as mentioned earlier. Sophomore Nathan Gass could have first base locked down.
Outfield: This should be a strength for Bellingham, as sophomore Landon Kerzman (.327 OBP) moves to center field after playing left field last season. Bogaards (.321 OBP, 3 RBI) has a big arm, and he also returns to the outfield. Junior Jonas Klein played on the JV team last season, and he will battle seniors Jackson Taylor and Trey Clayton for the remaining outfield spot. Both Taylor and Clayton haven’t played baseball in a while, but are both great athletes.
Final Analysis: The excitement is growing in the Bellingham baseball program, and it will return a lot of experience. Once they believe that they can win on a regular basis, it will start to happen. The players are definitely in place to make that happen.
Tyler’s Predicted Lineup:
- Landon Kerzman
- Conner Anderson
- Manny DePalma
- Lucas Bogaards
- Cody Tolle
- Jonas Klein
- Trey Clayton
- Jackson Taylor
- Nathan Gass
