The Press-Dispatch

March 30, 2022

The Press-Dispatch

Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1463185

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 18 of 28

C-4 Wednesday, March 30, 2022 The Press-Dispatch We are all excited about the coming season. I think we will be better, and I believe we will sur- prise some of our op- ponents." –Coach Dustin Powell Pike Central 2022 boys baseball team members are front row (l to r): Mason Gosciniak, Albert Whitehead, Nate Carter, Parker Knust, Eli Arnold, Kannon Garcia and Devin Carlisle. Back row: Jackson Stuckey, Gavin Pancake, Aron Johnson, Harley May, Kendric Sorgius, Evan Conder, Noah Meece, Jagar Dent and Zack Miller. Not pictured is Alec Smith. By Mike Sandifar Pike Central High School Director of Athletics Dustin Powell has taken on an addi- tional duty this spring—He has added the responsibility of head boys' baseball coach to his job description. Powell, a native of Mitch- ell and a 2000 graduate of In- diana University-Southeast, where he played baseball for the Grenadiers and graduated with a bachelor's degree in En- glish, has been a member of the Pike Central teaching staff since 2002 and the school's athletic director since 2018. Prior to coming to Pike County, Powell taught English and served as assistant base- ball coach at Seymour High School (2000 -02). The new Charger Diamond Mentor will be taking over a team that finished the 2021 baseball season with a 5 -18 overall record, including a 0 - 12 mark in the Pocket Athlet- ic Conference (PAC). "I played baseball in high school and in college, and my first two years as a teach- er, I was an assistant base- ball coach at Seymour High School," said Powell, "and though we were 5 -18 overall and 0 -12 in conference play last year, we had no seniors on that roster, and everyone should remember, there was no baseball season in 2020 due to the COVID. "So, our sophomores last year were really freshman, in terms of varsity baseball competition, and our juniors had little or no varsity expe- rience, as they were all fresh- man in 2019. "We have an 18 -man roster for 2022, and most of those 18 were on the team a year ago, giving us some experience, something we basically did not have at this time last year. "I think our team is excit- ed about the season, and they have worked very hard in preparation for what will again be a very challenging sched- ule for us." As with any baseball pro- gram at any level, Pike Cen- tral will count on its pitch- ing staff to keep the team in games, and the Chargers have a returning trio that could do just that this spring. Senior Harley May and juniors Isaac Burdette and Kendric Sorgi- us all return from a year ago. "We are not go- ing to overpower people with a high 80 mile-an-hour pitching staff, but May, Bur- dette, and Sorgi- us are all capable of placing the ball where they want it, and they are also very crafty with their pitches," said Pow- ell, "They will be the leaders on our mound staff, which in addition to those three, will in- clude seven others." Senior Evan Conder, junior Jagar Dent, sophomore Kan- non Garcia, and freshmen Nate Carter, Parker Knust, Albert Whitehead, and No- ah Meece will join May, Bur- dette, and Sorgius on the mound in 2022. "Garcia is playing baseball for the first time at the high school level, and he has real- ly been a nice pick-up for us," added Powell, "He will be able to help us in both the outfield and on the pitching mound. "Conder is one of our team leaders, and Dent saw some innings as a pitcher last sea- son, giving us several upper- classmen in the pitching ro- tation. "Our freshmen have some talent, and all they need is ex- perience to add to our pro- gram." Senior Devin Carlisle, the team captain for the Charger Soccer Team last fall, is ex- pected to add to the Pike Cen- tral outfield, and infielder Al- ex Smith returns for his senior year as well. Juniors Jackson Stuckey and Gavin Pancake can both play in the outfield and both can also see action behind the plate as catchers, while soph- omore Zach Miller can play third base and has the ability to see time as a catcher. Freshmen Mason Goscin- iak and Eli Arnold will see in- nings in the outfield, while classmate Aaron Johnson will play in the Charger infield. Carter and Whitehead can both play in the outfield as well as pitch, while Meece can play in the infield as well as throw the baseball from the mound. "We were very young last year," pointed out Powell, "and though we lost 18 games, we were in most of those games except for an inning. We have a few more num- bers now, and we have some experience. But most of all, I believe we have good people in this program right now who want to do things the right way, on and off the baseball diamond. "Our conference is one of the best in southern Indi- ana, and our non-conference schedule is very tough, as well. "Forest Park, Heritage Hills, North Posey, and South- ridge are probably among the favorites in league play, along with Gibson Southern, but we may surprise some people this year with our play. "We are going to try to play a few junior varsity five-in- ning games to ensure that our freshmen see playing time in game situations. "Our freshmen may see var- sity time immediately, as all seven have played extensive travel baseball, but I want to make certain they do play in games to ensure they do not get discouraged by not seeing action in actual games. They are the key to our future. "We are all excited about the coming season. I think we will be better, and I believe we will surprise some of our op- ponents." Powell will be assisted this spring by Randy Meece, and the team managers will be Heaven Thompson and Izzy Luker. The Chargers will open the 2022 campaign at Loogootee on April 1 at 5:00 p.m., then travel to Bicknell on April 4, where they will tangle with North Knox at 5:30 pm. Pike Central will play its first home game of the year on April 5 at 6:00 p.m. when the Boonville Pioneers visit for a conference encounter. Harley May Evan Conder Devin Carlisle Alec Smith Powell takes the reigns of Chargers baseball Go Chargers! Go Chargers! 245 S. Glezen Center St., Petersburg • 812-354-9909 BOYS' VARSITY BASEBALL Day Date Time Opponent Location H/A Fri 4/1 5:00 PM Loogootee Loogootee Away Mon 4/4 5:30 PM North Knox North Knox Away Tue 4/5 6:00 PM Boonville Pike Central Home Thu 4/7 6:30 PM South Spencer South Spencer Away Sat 4/9 11:00 AM Princeton Invitational Princeton Away Tue 4/12 6:00 PM Princeton Community Pike Central Home Thu 4/14 6:00 PM North Posey Pike Central Home Tue 4/19 6:00 PM Heritage Hills Heritage Hills Away Wed 4/20 5:30 PM Eastern Greene Pike Central Home Thu 4/21 5:30 PM South Knox Pike Central Home Tue 4/26 5:30 PM Forest Park Forest Park Away Thu 4/28 6:00 PM Southridge Pike Central Home Fri 4/29 5:30 PM Shoals Community Pike Central Home Tue 5/3 6:30 PM Gibson Southern Gibson Southern Away Thu 5/5 5:30 PM Tecumseh Pike Central Home Sat 5/7 11:00 AM Evansville Bosse Pike Central Home Tue 5/10 6:30 PM Tell City Pike Central Home Thu 5/12 5:30 PM Washington Washington Away Fri 5/13 6:00 PM Vincennes Lincoln Pike Central Home Sat 5/14 12:00 PM Wood Memorial Pike Central Home Mon 5/16 5:00 PM Northeast Dubois Pike Central Home Tue 5/17 6:00 PM Mount Vernon MVHS Baseball Field Away

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Press-Dispatch - March 30, 2022