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Less than two months remain before the start of the 2018  high school baseball season. We will spotlight teams from around the state as we near the start of our high school preseason and season coverage.

Team Spotlight: Western Branch

Head Coach: Roland Wright (14th Season)
Classification: 6A
Conference: Southeastern District
2017 Record: 19-7
2017 Post Season: 6A State Champions
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 3

Returners with Post Season Honors
Connor Butler

Key Returners (2017 Stats)
Connor Butler SS 2018
Connor Epley OF 2018
Ethan Alexander C 2018

Key Losses
Jay Patto
Rufus Hurdle
Trent Jones

Key Newcomer(s)
Kyle Carlson IF/RHP 2020
Reid Long RHP 2020
Roberto Velasquez RHP/IF 2021
Aiden Foley LHP/OF 2020

Outlook
The Bruins had an interesting 2017 regular season where they started out as an early favorite in 6A only to see their season take a roller coaster route, up and down the entire season. Western Branch won seven of their last eight games en route to their 6A championship victory over Frank W. Cox, getting redemption after their loss in the 6A South Regional championship to that same Falcon Squad. Leading the offense this season for the Bruins will be returners Connor Butler, Connor Epley, and Ethan Alexander. Butler will be making the move from second base to shortstop to replace Connor Rhem. Antonio Velasquez could add another stick and some pop to the lineup, building off his 2017 campaign offensively. Velasquez will anchor the pitching staff this season after he and Jay Patto were one of the top 1-2 punches in the state for the Bruins, with both pitching over 120 of the staff's 160+ innings pitched. Finding a replacement for Patto will be a tough one, but look for sophomores Reid Long and Aiden Foley to potentially fill in as replacements. Adding depth to the offense could be sophomores Kyle Carlson, Foley, Long, and keep an eye out for freshman P/IF  Roberto Velasquez.

 

More 2018 Team Previews