The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
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B-4 GSHS Spring Sports Preview Tuesday, March 28, 2023 South Gibson Star-Times Gibson Southern Baseball Titan varsity baseball The 2023 Gibson Southern varsity boys baseball team members are front row: (l to r ) Bradyn Epperson, Garett Reid, Adam Thompson, Tyler Martin, Karson Britton, Gunner Alexander, Grant Stinson, Luke Snyder, Ethan Ziliak and Bradyn Alldredge. Back row: Zach Pullum, Wyatt Kruse, Seth Parsons, Jackson Adams, Ian Rexing, Con- nor Marvel, Brody Knowles, Thomas Clevy, Tanner Boyd and Chris May. Not pictured: Assistants Reed Farmer and Axel Fruedenberg. Adam Thompson Bradyn Epperson Tyler Martin Garrett Reid Ethan Ziliak Wyatt Kruse New Faces on GS team ready to play ball By Mike Sandifar Star-Times Sports drhoops25@gmail.com The loss of 13 seniors from last year's 18 -7 Gibson Southern Baseball Team leaves a huge void on the diamond for Coach Chris May's 2023 edition of Titan Baseball, as only four lettermen return from that 18 - 7 team that finished 8 -4 (third place) in the Pocket Athletic Conference (PAC) in 2022. May, in his 16th diamond campaign as the head coach of the Titans, will have to nearly totally rebuild the Gibson Southern Baseball Team. Senior Brayden Epperson is the only returning Titan to face opposing pitchers more than 30 times a year ago. Epperson made 32 official trips to the plate in 2022, and he delivered on nine of those trips to bat to finish the season with a .281 batting average. Senior Garret Reid had 17 official at bats a year ago as a junior, and the Titan pitcher/shortstop banged out three hits (.178 batting average), while sophomore Seth Parsons went five for 16 in official at bats last spring (.389) as a freshman. Reid pitched 13.2 innings as a junior, and he received a win in his only decision on the hill to take a 1-0 record home for the summer. The fourth returnee for May is Adam Thompson, who returned to the diamond late in 2022 season, after sitting out much of the campaign recovering from "Tommy John" surgery on his pitching elbow. Seeing limited action on the hill, Thompson went 1-0 on the season. In early season evaluations, May has junior Ian Rexing, junior Jackson Adams, and senior Adam Thompson competing for playing time at first base, while senior Ethan Ziliak and sophomore Karson Britton have been looking good in competing for the second base spot. On the left side of the infield, Reid and freshman Brayden Alldredge have competed hard for the shortstop position, and senior Wyatt Kruse and sophomore Connor Marvel have looked good at the "hot corner." In the outfield, junior Tanner Boyd and sophomore Grant Stinson are challenging for the left field position, while the centerfield slot has Epperson and senior Tyler Martin battling for time. Parsons and junior Luke Snyder have shared time in right field. Sophomore Brody Knowles and freshman Gunner Alexander are competing for the starting catcher spot. In addition to the above "every day" position challenges, Kruse, Boyd, Alexander, Stinson, Snyder, Parsons, Rexing, and Marvel will all via for pitching opportunities along with Thompson and Reid. "There is no question, we will have to have patience with this team, all though there is talent, there is very little experience at the varsity level. "Early, it will be a learning experience for many of our players, who last year were on the junior varsity or the freshman team. "That being said, that does not mean, we think we will not be competitive this year—We will be very competitive." May sees North Posey, Southridge, Heritage Hills, Princeton, Boonville, and Washington all having the potential to compete for the league championship. The Titans have 35 student/ athletes competing for positions on the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman teams, with 18 of those currently on the varsity roster. The 29 -game Gibson Southern baseball schedule includes Lake Central, Martinsville, DeKalb, Evansville Central, Evansville Harrison, Evansville North, Evansville Christian, Mt. Carmel (Illinois) and Evansville Memorial, along with the rugged 12-game PAC schedule. In a pre-season interview, May confided, "We will have to find some pitching among our varsity newcomers, and we will have to accept the challenges we will get from the very start of our season if we are going to have a successful season, in terms of wins and losses. "I do know our schedule is going to be very tough, but I also think we have the potential to be a very good team. The Titans opened their season on Tuesday, March 28 in a home, non-conference encounter with Lake Central High School. On Saturday, April 1, Gibson Southern will take part in the annual Vincennes Lincoln Tournament, where they will play Martinsville at 10:30 a.m. and DeKalb ( Waterloo, Indiana) at 3:30 p.m. 200 W. Gibson St, Haubstadt 812-768-5678 www.brettscarcare.com Online Vehicle Accessories Store Sales & Installation Oil Changes Brakes Shocks Repair Gas & Diesel Repairs Certified Auto Repair Professional Service Center Program Diagnostics Tires