PALMYRA, MO (WGEM) – Everyone knows senior year is the year to ball out. For Palmyra baseball, this season is the payoff. A group that have been playing varsity for a few years is now made up of seasoned seniors, and the Panthers believe those years of reps have them positioned for a special run.
“We have a lot of guys who have been starters for two or three years, and I think they’ve been forged in the fire and kind of iron sharpens iron,” Head coach Brandon Crisp said. “We’ve been in a lot of tough situations,” Crisp said. “Winning close ball games is kind of something you expect out of guys who have had experience and who have been there before. So I think the fact that we have a lot of experience, that helps us down the road.”
Senior Raeson Miller is one of the leaders in that veteran group. A four-year varsity starter, Miller says he’s taken on more responsibility and become more vocal. But he’s not doing it by himself.
“I’ve definitely stepped up. I’ve become more vocal,” Miller said. “I’ve always been a silent leader because I played with a bunch of guys that were really good and didn’t need to be taught certain things. But this year it’s nice that I’m not the only leader because it’s nice I don’t have to do it alone.”
Having played together for years, their chemistry extends beyond the field and into the everyday work that builds a team over the course of a season.
“Always hanging out, trying to find ways to make ourselves better, staying after practice and getting extra reps and in school doing things too,” a player said. “We have a great relationship and I think that’s what makes this team special. All of us have started since we’ve been freshmen and that really helps.”
Crisp wants his seniors to finish their careers on a high note. And will do all he can to get there.
“Making sure that we put ourselves in a position to compete for a district championship, put ourselves in a position to compete for a conference championship, and also put ourselves in a position to be in the final four this year,” Crisp said.
Even with big goals, Palmyra isn’t getting ahead of itself. The focus, the coach says, is part of the process and not a promise. This is because baseball has a way of humbling teams that look too far down the road.
“We don’t ever talk about coming out and winning something certain because this game is really fickle and it’s really hard to do,” Crisp said. “So what we do is we just talk about putting ourselves in that position. Obviously we want to make it to state, but also we just want to make sure that we play the game the right way.”
Palmyra is currently 12-5 on the season and will play Mexico this Friday.
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