Grady has high hopes for upcoming season

Senior+Miles+Pierre+works+hard+at+a+Tuesday+night+practice+at+Crim+High+School.+The+team+will+play+at+Crim+Feb.15+against+McNair+High+School+at+5%3A30+pm+for+game+two+of+this+season.

Ogechi Ugwuh

Senior Miles Pierre works hard at a Tuesday night practice at Crim High School. The team will play at Crim Feb.15 against McNair High School at 5:30 pm for game two of this season.

By Henry Smalley

The baseball team has made a coaching change after last year’s 4-19 season, naming Darryl Farley head coach.

Farley, a 2008 Grady alumnus, implemented many offseason changes, including full conditioning workouts that began in November as well as official practices that began Jan. 15.

“As the head coach, I plan on stressing discipline,” Farley said. “Being a disciplined team will set the foundation for the season. I plan on teaching life lessons and preparing the young men for the future through the game of baseball.”

The expectations for this season are higher than in years past, as the goal is for the team is to make — and win games in — the playoffs. The team only won 4 games last year, despite having some college level talent.

“Our expectations for this season are higher than last year. We plan to grow stronger as a team, make it to playoffs, and to be a tough team to beat,”  junior catcher Ben Lepik said.

The team agrees the best way to become competitive is to grow mentally and physically stronger. The Knights are on a strict workout program that involves weight lifting and cardio. The team worked out for 2 full months together before the first official practices.

“I expect the players to grow mentally and physically while having fun,” Farley said. “When the players are having fun, the sky is the limit for the outcome of the season.”

The team is not lacking talent.  Senior Miles Pierre has already committed to play for Southern University in Louisiana next year, and other players plan to commit in the future.

“I plan on going to a college for baseball,” Lepik said. “I have a couple of options right now, but I would like to stay in Georgia, if I can.”

The team has struggled the past few years, and the seniors are hoping for their first winning record. Many players think the new head coach could be the difference.

“It has been a frustrating couple of years because we have lost more than we have won, which is always bad,” senior Luke Levens said. “This year, we have started off on the right foot and really started working.”

The team’s first scrimmage was Feb. 8 against Mays. The game had no effect on the standings for either team, and was mainly for preparatory purposes.

“We scheduled the game so we can see how our team plays against a team other than our own,” Farley said. “It is a low-pressure game where we can have fun and show how much we have improved.”

The regular season game is Feb. 13 against Southwest DeKalb and the first region game is Mar. 7 against Lithia Springs. The team starts with 15 non-region games before they open up region play.

“We start off with a long out of conference schedule, which I think will allow us to get in stride before we start playing in conference games,” Farley said. “All games matter, but I like to specifically stress conference games because in the end, that’s how we are going to make the playoffs.”