This season, the Braves will take the field with a new coach — Devin Spitzer, who coached the Braves junior varsity squad last season. He takes over for Chris Roberts, who led the program for nine seasons.
Spitzer previously coached baseball at Columbus Bishop Ready in the early 2000s and is entering his 27th season as an assistant coach with the Shawnee football program.
“I coached the JV last year and really enjoyed it,” Spitzer said. “When this came open, I really thought I could help them out.”
Shawnee graduated several strong players, including its battery from the past four seasons — pitcher Hannah Beers and catcher Alise Moneypenny. The Braves also graduated third baseman Tori Huxley, pitcher Taylor Cox and first baseman Reagan Simpson.
The Braves return six seniors, including their starting middle infielders in shorstop Dani Ross, a Canisius commit, and senior second baseman Megan Kelly.
Junior Marah Day will play third base and junior Lydia Spitzer will play first base. Senior Ella McCloskey, junior Ava Wills and freshman Maura Simpson will play outfield for the Braves this spring.
Freshman Aleeseah Trimmer will be the Braves starting pitcher, while Maura Simpson and senior Hailey Berry, Wills and McCloskey will also see time on the mound this season. Junior Iris Pierson will be the Braves catcher.
“The big thing has been getting used to each other,” Spitzer said. “They’ve had the same pitcher and catcher for four years.”
The Braves are off to a 2-0 start this spring, beating defending Division IV state champion Bradford 16-8 on Tuesday and topping Urbana 8-5 on Wednesday.
The goal hasn’t changed for the Braves — win a league title and play deep into the postseason. Shawnee has finished runner-up in four of the past five seasons.
“When I took the job, I said we wanted to win the Central Buckeye Conference and go to the state championship,” Spitzer said. “We want to do that every time. It’s just like our football team. You take it step-by-step. The goal has to be to win a championship. That’s what we want to do. We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re young and inexperienced and they’ll have to learn what it takes to do that, but that’s what we want to do.”
The key will be focusing on fundamentals, Spitzer said. The Braves host Springfield in a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 2.
“We’ve got to grow up fast with some of the young kids,” he said. “They’re going to be facing off against some veterans. We’ve got to be ready fast.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Addie DeLong, Mechanicsburg: The sophomore led the OHC with a .641 batting average driving in 26 runs with 55 stolen bases, earning OHC North Division Player of the Year.
Taylor Lewis, Southeastern: The senior infielder and Hillsdale College commit hit .538 with 26 RBIs and four home runs a year ago, earning OHC South Division Player of the Year.
Dani Ross, Shawnee: The senior shortstop and Canisius College commit hit .461 with 26 RBIs and 21 stolen bases last season, earning All-CBC Kenton Trail Division first team honors.
Hannah Strouse, Tecumseh: The senior catcher hit .557 with 27 RBIs and 13 doubles, earning All-CBC Kenton Trail Division first team honors.
Kirsten Wright, Kenton Ridge: The junior outfielder hit .412 with 16 RBIs and 16 stolen bases last year, earning All-CBC Kenton Trail Division first team honors.
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