A-J baseball looks to replace nucleus of last year's squad

The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School baseball team lost the nucleus of last year’s 17-13 squad.

“We lost a lot of guys,” A-J coach Aaron Roberts said. “We’ll be a much different team this season. We’ve got a lot to replace.”

The pitching and hitting duo of Bryce Osman and Hunter Ralls will especially be missed.

 “We have a lot of holes to fill,” Roberts said. “We’ve got the guys to fill them, they are just going to have to earn their spot.”

Returning seniors are first baseman/pitcher Jackson Laster; 3rd baseman/pitcher/catcher Carson Reynolds and outfielder Wyatt Johnston. Other seniors on the squad are outfielder/pitchers Dalton Seip and Damian Chrisp.

Juniors in the mix are catcher Jacob Schaefer; 2nd baseman/pitcher Avery Goines; utility players J.D. Mains and Steen Vaca  Diez; pitcher Tyler Jerrell and shortstop/pitcher Blake Pena.

Sophomores who could contribute are outfielder/3rd baseman/pitcher Nick McGrath and utility player Trent Mason.

Roberts looks for a competitive Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference race. He tabs Nashville, Carterville and Du Quoin to be three of the top teams in the conference race.

“There’s a lot of parity” in the conference, Roberts said. “A lot of teams can beat you on a given day.It’s going to be exciting to see what will happen this season.”

The Wildcats are scheduled to open their season Monday, March 11, at Egyptian.