Eight Anson High School Seniors lead the way for the Bearcats baseball team this season. 
                                 Contributed Photo

Eight Anson High School Seniors lead the way for the Bearcats baseball team this season.

Contributed Photo

<p>Anson’s baseball head coach Zach Scoggins prepares as the Bearcats season opens on April 27. </p>
                                 <p>Contributed Photo</p>

Anson’s baseball head coach Zach Scoggins prepares as the Bearcats season opens on April 27.

Contributed Photo

WADESBORO — The Bearcats baseball team takes to the field for the first time since March 4 of 2020, bringing along excitement and a chance to prove themselves after a disappointing loss in the 2019 playoffs.

Head Coach Zach Scoggins knows this season is going to be special. For starters, his seniors are the first group of freshman he had as head coach. He started as head coach in the 2017-2018 school year.

And of course, it will be exciting for the players to lace up their cleats and get back on the field after missing out on 19 games last season.

Eight of the 13 players on the varsity team are seniors. Scoggins will be looking to all the seniors to step up as leaders and strong players this season. He does not think they will even pick captains this year because all of the seniors have been in the program all four years.

“I like to use a saying, ‘leave your number better than you found it,’” Scoggins said. “I’m asking our seniors and leaders and really the whole team… your goal is for the next person to wear your number to want to be like you.”

Scoggins believes it is more important to leave something behind than take something with you when you graduate and finish your high school baseball career. Leaving their numbers in a better place than they found it will help fuel the future of the program.

He is also driving home the point that the team is not guaranteed the next ball game.

“Play every game like it’s your last,” Scoggins said. “I think that means more to this group this year, mostly because we have so many older guys on the team. Tomorrow could be their last game depending on what the pandemic brings.”

If the season could be dedicated to anyone, Scoggins wants to dedicate it to his seniors.

“I really feel bad for the seniors because that is their last two years of high school baseball,” Scoggins said. “With the last two years they will have played less games than a typical season.”

A typical season has 23 games, but in this COVID-19 school year, the season was cut to only 14 games.

It is crucial for the Bearcats to come out strong in the beginning of this shortened season as only one team in the division will move onto the playoffs instead of the typical three. In an instance a game could be canceled if someone tests positive for COVID-19, potentially hurting their chances at a playoff run because every game counts this season.

“The stakes are a little higher this season day in and day out,” Scoggins said. “I believe that every game this regular season, every conference game will feel like a playoff baseball game because you’re really playing to see who gets to the playoffs.”

The upside of having a shortened season is being able to space out the pitchers better between two games a week instead of three. Scoggins will also be able to see how they play in their other positions on the field.

“Previous years when you’re playing three a week when you make those switches on the mound, you got to do them in a timely manner,” Scoggins said. “You don’t want to be left without any pitchers on a Friday night…Two games is going to open us up a lot more with our pitching rotation.”

The hope of having the games more spread out will be to keep the pitchers’ arms healthy by the end of the season and for a potential playoff run.

Anson played a scrimmage game against South Stanly last Friday, helping them get back into game day mode and shaking off the jitters. Scoggins was able to get everyone on the team playing time. This allowed him to see how everyone plays together.

“I was pretty impressed with it,” Scoggins said. “I feel like we handled the bats very well. And our pitching was outstanding. Ethan Currie, Garrett Sikes and Trace Ricketts…they did an excellent job.”

The excitement of coming back to play was geared in the right direction. South Stanly is a very good team in the Yadkin Valley 1A Division and usually a top dog, according to Scoggins.

Looking ahead to the season, Scoggins believes West Stanly and Mount Pleasant will be the biggest challenges for the Bearcats. Since Scoggins took over as head coach, Anson, West Stanly and Mount Pleasant have always stayed at the top of the division.

The Bearcats first two games of the season will be away on April 27 and April 28. Scoggins said Currie will be the starting pitcher for the Tuesday game, which will be played after the Anson Record’s press deadline.

Anson will return for their home opener on Tuesday, May 4.

Reach Liz O’Connell at 704-994-5471 or at eoconnell@ansonrecord.com.