News editor
Marion High baseball coach Roger Schroeder isn’t as surprised that his team went into Tuesday’s games with a 10-1 record as he is with how they managed to get there.
“We’ve played some poor games, we’ve played some good games,” Schroeder said. “We’ve found a way to win games we had no business winning.”
The Warriors have clubbed their way to runaway victories and eeked out late-inning wins by scoring on walks.
“We’re finding ways to make plays in big situations,” Schroeder said. “Sometimes it’s big plays like runners in scoring position; sometimes it’s a little thing like not chasing pitches out of the zone and getting more opportunities behind you.”
Despite the stellar record, Schroeder said there’s room for improvement by cutting down on strikeouts, limiting the number of walks given up, and eliminating errors in the field.
“None of those three things have we met the standards we set for ourselves,” Schroder said.
Nonetheless, he’s pleased with the production he’s getting from the batting order, including a player who’s earned a regular spot.
“We have a sophomore, Evann Heidebrecht, who got an opportunity to play after the first five or six games of the season,” Schroder said. “He’s young, his swing needs some fine tuning, but he’s being aggressive.”
Heidebrecht is among team leaders in runs scored.
Another Heidebrecht, Peyton, is leading the team in batting average, while cleanup hitter Corbin Wheeler is tops in runs batted in.
If there’s a challenge Wheeler and others can work on, Schroeder said, it’s to not be too self-critical when they make mistakes, particularly at the plate.
“Baseball is a game of failure,” Schroeder said. “If you’re in the major leagues and you fail seven out of ten times, you’ll have a long career in baseball.”
The Warriors are awash in pitchers, with seven splitting innings across 11 games. Schroeder said he has confidence in putting any of them in on a given day, which keeps his hurlers fresh.
Getting in 11 games has been fortunate, given the weather, Schroeder said. Tuesday’s opponent, Remington, and played just six.