With several key returning players, the Cumberland Valley Christian baseball team is hoping to build on last year’s success.
The Blazers finished 10-5 last year and took third place in the Mason Dixon Christian Conference tournament. The Blazers came within a whisker of reaching the championship game but dropped a heartbreaking 5-4 decision at Shalom after leading for most of the semifinal game.
The Blazers return six starters from last year’s team, including two players who were first-team all-MDCC. Senior outfielder-pitcher Gage Brookens led the team in batting with a .578 average. Senior Nathan Minnier, who catches and pitches, batted .511 and slugged three home runs, including two in a game against Shalom.
Senior Scott Beckman, who plays first base in addition to pitching, was second-team all-conference after batting .449.
Also returning as starters are junior Garrett Scheeler (shortstop, pitcher, .256 batting average), junior Archer Munson (outfield, catcher, .256) and freshman Jensen Henninger (third base, pitcher, .268).
Other players to watch are sophomore outfielder Micah Ramsey, sophomore catcher-outfielder Sawyer Locke, junior second baseman-pitcher A.J. Sloan, and 8th-grade outfielder-pitcher Reece Witmer.
Landon McGhee, a junior first baseman and three-year starter, will be out most of the year after labrum surgery.
In their opener on Friday, the Blazers dropped a 13-1 decision to Grace Academy, probably the favorite to win the MDCC. The game was only 3-0 after six innings. Blazer pitchers got themselves into trouble by issuing eight walks and hitting five batters.
“Our hitters had only three hits and 15 strikeouts,” Blazers coach Ed McBeth said. “We faced two of the best pitchers in the league. We need to do a better job of putting the ball in play, and we need to avoid that one bad inning – 10 runs, seven unearned.”
Minnier had two of the Blazers’ hits, including a double, and Henninger broke up the shutout with a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Witmer pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts.