A look ahead at IAC Baseball

The winter months have provided a cruel roller coaster ride of temperatures and mixes of snow, rain, and sunshine, but as we approach the later stages of March, it feels as though spring has truly arrived.

With the arrival of the warmer weather, spring sports practices begin to move outside and the teams begin to prepare for their early-season contests.
While the early days of spring are underway in Tompkins County, it’s only fitting to look ahead at the promise of a new high school baseball season.

Lansing Bobcats
Last year saw, yet another strong postseason run by a Bobcats program that rallied behind strong pitching performances from Garrett Bell. Coming up just short of capturing a second state title in the sport is certainly a strong motivating factor for a team that is returning a lot of key players from last year’s Section IV championship squad.

As with many of the other boy’s sports throughout this school year, the baseball team sees many players back for their senior season, a helpful sign for a team that will be without longtime head coach Stuart Dean. Dean retired following the completion of last year’s 17-5 season.

 

Trumansburg Blue Raiders
The Blue Raiders are no strangers to tough, postseason competition, especially following yet another edition of the IAC Small School Championship game against Tioga, a game that ended as a 4-3 Trumansburg loss. Despite the loss, the Blue Raiders played on into the sectional tournament but fell short of the ultimate goal.

With a strong and youthful talent pool and a core of veterans that are returning for yet another season, it already feels like the beginning of another special season in Trumansburg. From a team that finished 13-6 a season ago, comes the promise of an even better finish for the squad.

 

Groton Indians
Last season the Indians showed a fair amount of promise as a program that seems to be hanging around on the fringe of making that move into a postseason power. Last season, the Indians lost three important seniors in Austin Skinner, Tom Buckley, and Caleb Reynolds. Certainly, with a gap to fill at catcher with the loss of Skinner, the team has to look to a younger talent pool.
With the number of returners to the lineup, it seems as though experience favors the Indians in most contests. This season could see a number of local teams chasing after a promising Indians roster.

 

Newfield Trojans
Last season was a tough season for the Trojans, who despite qualifying for the sectional tournament in Class D, struggled to find a consistent rhythm throughout the spring. A big factor for the up and down season stemmed from the youthful injection of players to the roster. More than half of the Trojans’ team was made up of freshmen or players who were joining the team for the first time. While that sort of youthful spring is promising for the future, it still requires an extended learning process to bring the Trojans to the top ranks.
Another postseason berth is, by no means, out of the reach of Newfield, but patience is needed to allow for the younger players to develop into a future force.

 

Dryden Lions
The Lions faced their fair share of struggles throughout the season. The 6-10 squad looked outmatched against much more veteran teams in the IAC. This season, Dryden has an opportunity to bounce back and contest for an IAC title. While schools like Lansing and Union Springs stand in the way of the Lions and the Large School North, Dryden’s squad has gained the valuable experience of playing against the powerhouse clubs. Combine playing experience and more veteran-led team, and the Lions could make a push late this spring.