In 2023, the Putnam County War Eagles baseball team has its sight set on big opportunities ahead. With a good mix of young and veteran players in its lineup, Putnam is hungry for a strong rebound season.
After finishing last season with a seven-game losing streak, head coach Michael Phiel is looking for his War Eagles to start steady and finish strong.
“We had a bunch of things go against us last year,” Phiel said. “Some of it was out of our control, but some of it was in our control. We have to continue to improve on controlling what we can, accepting and overcoming what we can’t control and not letting struggles and setbacks linger. It’s part of maturing as a ball player.”
The War Eagles have four seniors, three juniors, and one sophomore returning, but they also lost Jalen and Gerald Kilgore, plus DJ Bland, who are all now focusing on their college football careers instead of playing baseball.
“That’s a lot of skill and athleticism to replace. It was awesome watching those guys do what they did in football and baseball,” Phiel said while pointing out it’s the nature of high school sports for players to sometimes change focus and eventually graduate and move on to college.
“Every year, every program has to replace senior leaders with younger guys,” Phiel added. “With that being said, we have some talented guys that should be able to step in and fill the void left by those guys graduating. The best programs do that better than others, we hope to keep working towards that.”
Tanner Lukens and BJ Ruff are among the players Phiel expects will step in to make bigger contributions this season. With so many returning players, he recognizes his team has a lot of experience playing against many of their opponents— who are dealing with the transition as well.
“Anytime you’re familiar with an opponent it can be good or bad,” Phiel said. “We’ve got some big non-region opponents that will test us right out of the gate. We know what kind of baseball they play, and our guys know if they don’t bring their best, what can happen? It helps get and keep the guys focused day to day. It’s really the only way to be successful in baseball; day-to-day focus.”
In addition to the transition out of the team by seniors and refocused athletes, each new season also brings an influx of new talent, too, and Phiel said he’s encouraged by what he’s seen so far.
“We have a really talented freshmen class of ball players and some of them will be forced into situations where we will count on them to produce,” he said.
The coach mentioned Tanner Lukens and BJ Ruff as being among those who dressed and played a little varsity last year and will have to step up in order for the War Eagles to succeed this year.
He also singled out Brannan Griffin, Jackson Dodd, Gates Lanzarone, Wyatt Sims, George Watkins and Wade Johnston as others he’ll be counting on to contribute.
“All very talented players,” he observed. “But young and inexperienced.”
No doubt, the War Eagles ball team will be one to watch this year.