The Blackwell baseball program will be losing a group of players that have had a big impact on the program. While the road has not always been smooth, this group of seniors have stuck together and helped keep the program on track.
“This senior group has been a big factor for this program,” said head coach Justin Billingsly. “The majority of them found themselves starting as a freshman because of numbers and made impacts early on. This senior group has also been through three different head coaches with me being the third. I’ve been with them the past two years and their growth as players and students have shown great leadership over the years. These seniors have seen it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. But the one thing these seniors have never done was quit on themselves when the going gets tough.”
Carter Barriger, Reid Buellesfeld, Eyzic Burke, Reid Estep, Aydun Ingram, and Dorian Palma are the seniors on this year’s squad. Not only is their play on the field key, the impact that they make off the field is just as important.
“These seniors are great leaders for the underclassmen as they push them each and every day,” coach Billingsly said. “We have a big group of underclassmen and these seniors do their best to teach them the ropes of the game. Putting themselves in the right positions, helping them enhance their skills, and just overall teaching them how to be a team player. As a coach, I wish this group of seniors didn’t have to graduate just yet. But these seniors already have their career paths lined out and I wish them the best of luck as they enter the next chapter.”
This season, Billingsly looks for his squad to fare pretty well this season.
“The standard is set pretty high,” he said. “I have high expectations for this team as we could make a name for ourselves this year and go pretty far. Our district opponents will be no easy task. Each week will bring new challenges to the table and each week we have to bring our best to compete at a high level. The talent is there for the team, we just have to execute and do everything right to be successful.”
