(Essex) — The Essex baseball team is battling inexperience and a low-numbered roster in its first season with head coach Todd Franks.

The young Trojan team is 0-12 on the season and is witnessing the struggle that inexperience can bring to a team. With a short amount of time left in the regular season, the Trojans will look to the postseason, where they head to Lenox to take on the Tigers.

“We’ve had our ups and our downs,” head coach Todd Franks tells KMA. “A very young team, no seniors, two juniors, one sophomore, four freshmen, and the rest are eighth graders.”

Freshman Ben King has spent the most time on the mound this season for the Trojans. Through 10 1/3 innings pitched, King has recorded 11 strikeouts. Junior Will Roberts has also thrown seven innings with 14 strikeouts on the season.

At the plate, they are led by eighth grader Hayven Johnson, who is hitting a .211 average and has a .375 on-base percentage.

Bently Bowers, Rhys Chambers, Tyler Inman, Stephen Johnson, Brody Kirchert, and Dominic Kirk join King, Roberts, and Johnson to complete the Trojan lineup.

“They’re starting to learn,” Franks said. “Hang on to the fundamentals, and we should be pretty good in a couple more years if they stay out.”

Franks said that the inexperience has not been easy for this Essex squad.

“It makes it pretty challenging for the team,” Franks said. “Just being behind the eight ball with the young kids, with some kids that have never played ball before, and you’ve got to stop and teach them.”

With the postseason nearing, Franks said he wants his guys to have fun with the game.

“A little more having fun out there on the field,” Franks said. “It’s like they have fun and then the wheels fall off. It goes from fun to oh crap, we’re behind, but we’ve been behind all year. We should know how to play. Once they start thinking that baseball’s fun, they’ll be all right.”

Essex will head to Lenox on Saturday, July 5th, to take on the Tigers (15-7) in a Class 1A District 14 first-round matchup.

Full interview with Essex baseball head coach Todd Franks below.

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