A learning season for the young Fleetwood team
To say that the Fleetwood Area High School baseball team is a young one is a bit of an understatement. The Tigers lost nine seniors from last year’s team that went 7-3 and tied for second place with Berks Catholic in the Division 2 standings of the Berks League. With that many players missing from this year’s roster, there will be a lot of uncertainty for the Tigers.
Of the 30 player roster, only nine are juniors or seniors. The majority of players on the roster have had little or no varsity experience. It will be a learning season for most of the team, and matching last year’s 7-3 record will be a challenge.
“Our team goal will simply be to improve as the season progresses,’ said head coach Rolland Green. “Hopefully we will be playing meaningful baseball going into the last week of the season and quality for county and district playoffs.’
There isn’t much experience on the team, but there is some to rely on. The team will be led by Tyer Emge and Jake Wapinsky. Emge produced a lot of offense for the Tigers last year, and will be counted on for even more this year. In 2014 he hit a lofty .453 with an on base percentage of .486. He knocked in 17 runs and scored 22. He also provided a lot of speed for the Tigers, stealing 26 bases on the season.
Wapinsky also had a great 2014 season with the bat. He his .366 with an on base percentage of .423. He scored 23 runs on the season and had seven triples.
The pair will both provide a lot of speed for the Tigers, something this team will not be missing. Expect to see the Tigers run a lot, trying to used their speed to score runs. Green also likes the team’s pitching and defense. The question is how much offense will the younger players provide.
“The key to the season will be how productive our mid to lower end of the line-up performs,’ said Green.
The weather hasn’t helped much this spring. Green would like to have had more outdoor practices so he can get a better look as some of the newer faces on the team. But cold and rain has forced them all inside, making it that much tougher for the team to develop quickly.
