Wolverines “Rolling With The Punches”
Dade County Wolverine baseball Coach Chris Brown gave an assessment of the Wolverines as they approach the halfway point of Region 7-AA play.
Coach Brown stated, “The 2021 Dade County Wolverine baseball team has been a roller coaster for sure. We started the year off starting seven freshmen in the field that had missed their eighth-grade season.
In the first game we faced a Florida commit from Northwest Whitfield, struggling from there until we had every player once basketball season was over. It is tough as a freshman to be thrown into a varsity game period but even tougher when you missed a whole year of baseball.
I am incredibly proud of how these young men have stepped up and grown. Even when we had all the players back there were still a few freshmen that had to step up and fill spots on the varsity roster. Landon Williams, Kaden Moore, Jax Guinn Eli Kimball, and Mason Gatlin have all had to step up and have contributed in a big way this year. This will help them grow for later seasons.
We are a very young team and started off very slow, 1-7. We changed a few coaching strategies, and the kids answered the challenge.
My seniors and juniors stepped up and started leading by example and the younger players followed. Now as always there is a type of adversity that happens every season. We have been hit a few times with injuries and other dilemmas, but these Wolverines have been rolling with the punches and getting better every day.
Due to this mindset, we have won our first three series in the region and are currently 9-8 on the season.
Brodie Swader (488), Nolan Heath (418), and Kaden Moore (404) have contributed to the success by hitting over .400 and making plays whenever they have the opportunity. Our bats have come a long way from where they started.
Our pitching staff battles their tail off every time they step on the mound. Brett Kay leads the staff with 31.2 innings pitched with 40 strikeouts and a 4-0 record and a 1.989 ERA. Brayden Nethery has 28.1 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts, a 1-2 record and a 2.965 ERA and Brodie Swader has 27.1 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts and a 2.817 ERA.
These kids show up everyday with drive and determination and it puts a huge smile on the coaching staff’s faces.
I am incredibly proud of how hard these young men have worked and ready to see what the rest of the season has in store for us.”