Flint Hill Baseball Hopes Solid Foundation Yields Wins

With six of last year's starting lineup returning to the squad this year, the Flint Hill baseball team feels comfortable it has a solid foundation to start the season.

Not only does Coach Tom Verbanic expect solid skills, but he expects them to help raise the talent level of the younger players.

"With all this experience, we should also have a lot of leadership," said Verbanic, who is in his second year as head coach at the school. 

Two of his starting infielders have committed to play baseball at the collegiate level: David Belt at the College of William & Mary, and Harrison Gray at Babson College. 

The Huskies are coming off a 2011 season that brought them their fourth consecutive Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship title. They have already started off strong, winning its first game of the season Tuesday with a 4-1 victory over Paul VI Catholic High School, who the Huskies haven't beaten in more than a decade.

But graduation left the Huskies virtually without a battery, with the hardest blow coming from the loss of standout pitcher Jared Knoll (Marshall University) and their everyday catcher Bhendari Moore (Shenandoah University) — both of whom now play at the collegiate level.

"We'll be young on the mound, but hopefully solid," Verbanic said. "I think the mound is going to be run by committee right now. I can't really say who we're going to lean on, but we've got a lot of guys throwing."

Regardless of the players' experience level, Verbanic and his coaching staff have been emphasizing the players to "be a part of the game," especially early in the season, by asking questions as situations occur on the field.

In the last week, Verbanic said he has seen a marked improvement in communication from the players and hopes they realize its value.

"We want to be part of the game and so they're job is to ask questions and figure out what's going on, and evaluate what we should be doing in situations. It's necessary to get better at the game," he said.

Though Verbanic feels confident in his squad, he's making no predictions for just how far into the postseason they'll advance.

"Our goal is to get better every day, and play hard," he said.