MOUNT VERNON — The 2008 high school baseball season produced uncharacteristic results for the Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets. The team went 11-13 overall and finished under .500 (4-6) in the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division.
With a move to the Capital Division this year, the Jackets look to use the experience they’ve gained to improve on their finish.
“We’ve been good for so long that everybody just kind of expects to be every year,” said Mount Vernon coach Doug Savage. “You don’t realize how much work we put in and how many good players we had come through. I do think that if we can get it going this year and everybody establish their roles and find where they fit into the team, we can get something going. Time will tell. Sometimes when you think you are going to be good, you’re not. Other times when you think you are not going to be so good, you are. I don’t really pay too much attention to that. I just try to take it one day at a time and get us a little bit better each day.”
Mount Vernon lost five starters from last year’s team, including All-OCC selections Aaron Beeman (shortstop, pitcher) and Zach Melton (catcher). Also gone are third baseman Eric Benedetti, center fielder Tom Calland and right fielder Kyle Shackle. Both Calland and Shackle also saw time on the mound.
“The toughest person to replace is Aaron Beeman; he was a First Team all-league player, a three-year varsity player,” said Savage. “He was a solid infielder and handled shortstop for us more of the time. He was an all-around solid player and hit in that leadoff spot. Zach Melton, our catcher, will be missed. He had a real solid year for us. Eric Benedetti, at third, went about his job quietly, but he brought a lot day in and day out. Then our two outfielders, Tommy and Kyle. Tommy covered a lot of ground out there, and was a three-year varsity player. Kyle Shackle was steady out there in right field. He played every day for us.
“All five kids were solid performers day in and day out.”
The Jackets return several players who saw valuable varsity playing time, however, and that should help when it comes to wins and losses. Senior Ben Severns and junior Kolton Wilson will split time at shortstop, depending on who is on the mound. Senior newcomer Dylan Shuman will backup at shortstop. When not playing short, Wilson will move to second in place of juniors Cody Green or Tad Glibert, who will also see time at second.
Severns will also see time at first base and pitcher. Luke Wilson takes over at third base on a full-time basis, while junior Justin Edwards moves up to become the regular every day first baseman. Aaron Watts will take over the catching duties behind the plate, and returning senior outfielders Ty Benson and Brian Hoar, along with juniors Robert Kane and Russell Doup, are expected to start. Hoar and Doup will move between designated hitter, right field and center field, depending if Kane is on the mound. Junior Alec Curry and senior Mike Vilfer will also see time in the outfield. Kane and Doup will also backup at first base. Junior Derek Baker will backup Luke Wilson at third, and Cory Grennell will spell Watts behind the plate.
“Anytime guys can get playing time, it is a good thing. When they first start playing varsity baseball, nerves are an issue,” Savage said. “Guys are tentative because they don’t want to make mistakes. After they’ve played some games, like some of these guys have, they become your leaders. They are no longer intimidated. I think that’s where we are at.”
One of the Jackets’ strengths this season will be their pitching staff. Five pitchers who saw time on the mound last season return, including starters Severns, Kane and Doup. Watts and Luke Wilson also pitched in two games. Kolton Wilson and senior Nate Jarrell will also provide support in the deep Mount Vernon rotation.
Severns, Kane and Doup combined to pitch 100 2/3 innings and had seven of the team’s 11 wins between them. Severns was the top pitcher, going 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA in six games.
“We’ve got our top three starters back from last year in Robert, Russell and Ben,” said Savage. “They pitched quite a few innings for us, and at least in the early on, we are thinking they will be able to throw strikes for us. None of them are overpowering; they’re not going to strike out a lot of people. I think they will be able to get ahead in the count and nibble on the corners. Those three, along with Luke Wilson, Aaron Watts and maybe even Kolton Wilson and Nate Jarrell, will give us several guys that we can put on the mound and really be competitive.”
Savage believes this team could also be strong defensively, which will help support the pitchers. The only real weakness he sees is in his bats. Mount Vernon lost six games by three runs or less last season, and the team has spent a lot of time working to improve its offense.
“We fee like we have a solid infield,” Savage said. “It is going to take some time because there are some people playing new positions, but I think they will fit right in.
“We struggled offensively last year and lost a lot of low-scoring games. There were some games where we couldn’t hardly score at all. This year, we are going to have a little bit better of an offensive team, and we’ve been putting a lot of time into it, as much as we can. We’ve shown a little bit in our scrimmages, especially in our first scrimmage. We hit the ball pretty well. I think our offense will come around.”
The Jackets start the season off Monday with five straight games. They begin OCC play on Friday at home.
“I think it is important for us to get off to a good start,” Savage said. “We can get some momentum built our way and get the guys some confidence early. We open up with Northridge at home, and then we go on the road to play Licking Valley, Marion Pleasant and River View. Those are going to be good tests for us. They are all a little smaller schools, but they all have good baseball traditions. Hopefully, we will be able to get the ball rolling our way early and keep the momentum going as we head into our league schedule.
“It will be a very competitive league for us. We open up with Olentangy Orange; I don’t know a whole lot about them, but they’ve been competitive in their other sports already. I imagine they will be pretty decent in baseball as well. Delaware is always strong. New Albany, year in and year out, has a good baseball program. I think we can be right in there battling for a league championship, along with some of those teams I just mentioned.”
