LEAVITTSBURG, Ohio (WKBN) – This LaBrae baseball team has enjoyed a fun start to the season, hitting the 15 win-mark early and cracking the top five in the latest state ranked poll.
“I think this is the highest they’ve been in state for several, several years,” LaBrae head coach Ed Anthony said.
In his first season with LaBrae, Anthony has brought his years of experience and success from around the Valley and while at Western Reserve with him to this young Vikings team.
“It’s got the ingredients there to be very, very good by the end of this year, and we get them all back for next year,” Anthony said.
“We had some darts thrown at us at the beginning of the season,” LaBrae freshman Austin Rowe said. “Two of our seniors were out for the whole year, so we’re really young, obviously, and it’s been great to just compete at a high level.”
So far, they’ve been involved in plenty of high-level baseball on their way to an early number four ranking in Division III state baseball polls, the Vikings picked up impressive wins over Champion, Hubbard, Crestview and Jackson-Milton.
I really like our big games. Those are good,. We have the energy,” freshman Landon Brunstetter said. “Our pitching has been really well this year and we hit the ball when we need to.”
“We’ve been hyped up every game, we come in every game ready to play and we’re all excited,” junior Brogan Collins said. “I mean look at them they’re great.
With every game, the confidence and morale of this team reach new levels.
“Every game confidence on high. We think we’re going to win every game, we get good pep talks for the games,” junior Dylan Simpson said. “These guys are a fun group, these are my brothers and when we win, we celebrate pretty good in that locker room, we get after it.”
“I think it’s been great because, with some of the big ones that we have, I think we can be almost anyone and make a run in the playoffs,” Rowe said.
