Baseball season is set to open up in the coming weeks. After a long winter of workouts and 

practices, these boys are ready to get back out on the field. The team leads off with a scrimmage at Mason, Thursday, March 17th.   

Last season, the team went 18-11 on the year, losing to Walnut Hills in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Kings placed 2nd in the ECC behind Turpin. 

“Overall I think our team is very prepared for the season,” Junior short-stop, Jack Smith said. “We have all worked hard in the off-season and feel ready for the season to start.” 

The team has been working hard since December of last year at Elite Strength and Conditioning, located near the high school. 

“As a team, I think everyone’s goal is to win the state championship and be the best we can,” Junior First-Baseman Brayden Cheeseman said.

Following the first scrimmages of the season, the team heads for Vero Beach, Florida over spring break for their first 6 games of the season.

“The Florida trip seems so fun, I missed out my freshman and sophomore year cause of covid so I’m just super excited to get the experience that everyone talks about,” Cheeseman said.

The trip has been an important aspect of the baseball season schedule for years .The team has not been able to make the trip to Vero since 2019 due to issues concerning Covid-19 regulations.

“We hope to do well in Vero and get a good look at how the team sets up for the regular season,” Smith said.

This year’s season is different from recent seasons. With Coach McClung stepping down as varsity head coach, Lance Durham fills his position and begins his first season as head coach in the coming weeks.

“This year has been different with a new coach, but I think he has made a lot of good decisions,” Cheeseman said. “Obviously it is going to be different than McClung, especially after he had been coaching for so long.”

The team has not had any team workouts this season unlike last year. Each player has a program and goes to Elite Strength and Conditioning individually. However many players choose to workout in groups together. 

Coach Durham had previously been an assistant coach at Fairfield High School. Durham also played college baseball at the University of Cincinnati. He was drafted to the Toronto Blue Jays and bounced around the minor leagues for 4 teams before pursuing a coaching career.

“I think Coach Durham has done a great job of preparing us and was ready for the challenge of coming into a new program,” Smith said.