Spring Sport Preview

Spring+Sport+Preview

Logan Connor, Reporter

Baseball

The baseball team has been preparing for their challenging schedule. With the season quickly approaching, the coaches have raised the intensity.

“The past couple weeks have been way more intense,” sophomore first baseman Cooper Smith said. “We had some live hitting and stuff like that. We enjoy competing and it creates a game-like situation. The intensity and focus definitely heightens, too.”

The upperclassmen are looking forward to turning around the narrative of GHS baseball. The team feels as if there are doubts still despite their hard work.

“I’m looking forward to the team competing and showing people how hard we have worked in the off-season,” senior second baseman Conner Stidham said “We want to prove people wrong about our team.”

The desire to win and drive to improve has brought the team together.

“We have come close as a team by being together every Monday and Wednesday,” Stidham said. “We all are striving to take that next step as a team and have been putting extra work in together outside of pre-season workouts.”

Some games on the calendar just mean more to certain players. For Stidham, that game is against conference and county rival Whiteland.

“Personally, Whiteland is always circled on the calendar for me because I used to go to Whiteland and know a lot of the kids. I also play with a couple of the kids on my travel team so it’s kind of a personal game for me,” he said.

The varsity squad will open the season with a scrimmage at Center Grove next Friday.

 

Softball

A Sectional exit received at the hands of Whiteland has been lingering in the mind of the softball team all off-season.

The girls have been back to work and are hoping to turn around from an upsetting season last year. Although there was success, the team feels like they underperformed and look to flip the switch this season.

“This pre-season we have been working hard on Tuesdays and Thursdays and getting better for the season and growing as a team,” sophomore pitcher Courtney Hankenhoff said. “We get outside sometimes for throwing and stretching, but we’re all ready to get outside on the field.”

As the season approaches, the girls are getting restless and ready for competition.

“We’re all really excited because our first game is coming up soon after tryouts (March 7),” Hankenhoff said. “We’re all super excited for the season to start and get up and going.”

A tight knit team is important for success. Complimenting teammates skills and personality contributes to team chemistry and ability to work as one.

“We have come close as a team by learning more about each other as people,” Hankenhoff said. “We have learned a lot about each other’s skills to help us work together and help each other get better in different areas.”

The contributions of freshmen and other newcomers will be important.

“We have some new girls this year so we have been figuring out how they can contribute to the team this year,” Hankenhoff said. “It is really exciting seeing everyone grow as a team.”

Woodmen softball will open the season with a matchup at Hoosier Heritage Conference member Greenfield-Central next Thursday.

Track and Field

A storied history with an abundance of success is expected to be repeated yet again for the track and field team. The team has more than 100 athletes competing this season.

The “trackletes” have been working hard in their crafts in order to win as many events as possible this season.

“We have been doing a lot of cardio and stairs recently for cardio and endurance,” freshman Will Riley said. “We have done a few short acceleration drills as sprinters to work on quickness and getting off the blocks faster.”

Competing against other runners in practice pushes the athletes to perform better. The competition at practice has brought the team together and heightened skill.

“We’ve been pushing each other and making sure everyone is giving their best effort,” sophomore Jackson Haessig said. “We make each other better on the track which has brought a lot of us closer as a team.”

Although Haessig is only a sophomore, he has had many memories to look back on over the years.

“The most memorable moments are just hanging out with your friends waiting for your events to run,” Haessig said. “Crossing the finish line and getting a PR and being surrounded by all your friends is one of the best feelings.”

Haessig has his eyes locked on improving his times and contributing to the team by winning events and earning ribbons while giving the team more points.

“I look forward to getting faster, doing better in my events every meet, and getting some ribbons and points for the team,” he said.

Woodmen Track and Field will compete at home against Roncalli and Mount Vernon on April 5.

 

Girls Tennis

With the hiring of new head coach Maecee Terhune, the girls tennis team is looking forward to improving on their past success with a new leader at the helm.

The team has been working hard whether it be at school workouts or with other club teams. Participating in tournaments outside of school play has been an important factor to their success.

“Since our new coach got hired, there have been open gyms every Tuesday and Thursday,” sophomore Maggie Boyce said. “A few other girls and I also play tournaments and participate in other clinics with coaches from across the state.”

Playing against rival schools brings a higher level of focus and wanting to compete. County and conference members are typical rivals throughout most sports.

“Our biggest rivals are probably Center Grove, Franklin and Whiteland,” Boyce said. “We all really want to beat each other. We definitely play a little harder against them.”

Watching teammates have success inspires other players to perform at a higher level. Boyce feels that watching her fellow teammates in Sectionals last season has pushed her more.

“Last season, the team got to watch Sophia Davidson and Brooklyn Hanson advance in the sectional games,” Boyce said. “Watching them get to perform at that level is really inspiring.”

Returning as the No. 3 singles player for Boyce would be daunting for most sophomores. But Boyce embraces the challenge after an offseason of hard work and many hours.

“I’m looking forward to the upcoming competition,” Boyce said. “I hope to regain my spot at 3 singles on varsity, and with all the work I’ve put in this winter, I am excited to put that into winning games.”

GHS girls tennis will open their season at Roncalli High School on April 4.

 

Boys Golf

Golf head coach Thom Hord is entering his third season at the helm of the boys team. He and his players have been working hard on the brink of a hopeful season.

Coach Hord said this team has the skill and opportunity to make a deep run into the state playoffs at the end of the season. But before the team even thought about any matches, they began pre-season workouts back in January.

“We have been working since about the first of the year,” Coach Hord said. “They have been working really hard, and we expect big things this season. It’s really exciting to think about what we’re capable of as a team.”

With a strong backbone of returning players and a talented group of young players, Coach Hord’s team has a great balance of experience and fiery young players.

“I would say we have a strong group of returning players in Jackson Watkins, Conner Chase and Eli Poe,” Coach Hord said. “I think our young players will give us a much needed spark as well.”

Leadership and maturity is important to have a strong group of senior leaders. Having strong leaders who also know how to play the game is an even more important factor.

“I got great leadership from these guys,” Coach Hord said. “I mean they can really play, they know how to play the game and they’re smart about it. As a coach, you can only wish that you have guys out on the golf course that you don’t have to babysit. And with this group, I got that.”

Mastering the game of golf is a challenge within itself. With it being the most mentally challenging sport, becoming mentally tough leads to being a better player in the eyes of Coach Hord.

“It’s all mental. The mental side of the golf game is more important than anything that you can do. If you can hit a bad shot and get over it pretty quickly you’ll be a decent player,” he said.

Sometimes getting reps on the course is challenging during winter months. So this winter the team had a “simulator league” to stay sharp during the cold months.

“We have a simulator league every Thursday,” junior Conner Chase said. “We did a lot to help keep swinging well during the winter season.”

Spending a lot of time together during those winter months has brought the team closer together, according to Chase.

“I mean just hanging out during simulator league and past seasons just getting to know each other and all becoming closer has helped tighten the bond between all of us players and coaches,” he said.

Being able to stay loose and have a little fun throughout the course of a season is important for the mental side of the game. Inside jokes and cracking fun at fellow teammates keeps players relaxed.

“During practice, Drew Dhondt did a drill that was obviously very wrong and was really funny,” Chase said. “We joked about that all of last season and still make jokes about it this season.”

The team is looking forward to sectional play and performing at a high level during the playoffs. Not only are they excited, but they understand the importance of performing well.

“I would say that definitely sectionals is the most important match we have this year,” Chase said. “And especially since our team this year is going to be really good I think that with the entire season to prepare sectionals will be our biggest and most important match.”

Coach Hord’s team opens their season at the Edinburgh golf invitational on April 9.