The Harrisburg Bulldogs were one of the few baseball teams in the area fortunate enough to be able to play 18 games as a unit last summer. “It gave us a chance to see our newcomers play against some competition,” said coach Chris Ackman. “We also had a few of our players play in competitive-level leagues during the summer.”

Returning only one senior, Wyatt Robinson, coach Ackman joins most of the other area coaches in relying on underclassmen to fill big roles. Along with Robinson, juniors Tanner Lanes, Travis Gardiner, and Trevor Smoot have varsity experience as well as classmate Gavin Curtis.

Fifteen newcomers will join the varsity this year with 12 of those being sophomores and three being freshman.

After losing about 98% of his starting pitching from the 2020 season to graduation, Ackman looks to rebuild that staff starting with junior Trevor Smoot as the lone junior expected to see a great deal of action. Sophomores Anthony Alicea, Brayden Ott, Austin Darwent, and Logan Fritts will also put in valuable time on the hill. Lanes and freshmen Hunter Cole and Carter Bremer could also find themselves on the hill as well.

The other half of the battery, the catcher’s position, will be filled by any of three different players, sophomore Landon Edwards, junior Gavin Curtis, or freshman Austin Starbuck, with Edwards probably drawing the opening game assignment. 

After graduating the entire infield from what would have been the 2020 team, Ackman will fill most of those spots with underclassmen. Lanes and freshman Joshua Cochran will compete for the first base job, while two freshmen Cole and Bremer along with Smoot are vying for the second base position. Sophomores Darwent and Ott will push each other for the short stop slot while Alicea and Fritts will compete to line up beside them at third.

The lone senior Robinson will patrol the outfield for the Bulldogs and is comfortable at any of the three positions. Juniors Travis Gardiner and Lanes will compete for the other two outfield spots along with sophomores Alicea, Wyatt, Izik Butts, Jordan Sager, and, Darin Clayton.   

“We will have a bit more speed throughout the lineup this year,” said Ackman. “Robinson, Alicea, and Ott are possibilities for us to light up the base paths. We always look for opportunities to take the next 90 feet, so we will be aggressive on the bases this spring.”

The lineup will always be dictated by who is on the mound, but Ackman feels this is what his  lineup card could look like when games are actually able to be played: Anthony Alicea will take the mound, backed up by Tanner Lanes at first, Brayden Ott at second, Austin Darwent at short, and Logan Fritts at third. Tracking down fly balls in the outfield will be left fielder Carter Bremer, center fielder Wyatt Robinson, and Braden Wyatt in right. Landon Edwards would be the catcher. Trevor Smoot or Hunter Cole would hit from the Designated Hitter spot.

“The 2021 team is full of uncertainty. There are 16 players who were on the team last spring when the season came to an end,” said Ackman. “Of those 16, only four have seen time on the field during a varsity game.  We are dealing with inexperience, but we do have some talented players on the roster.  We will have to improve each day.  We will continue to strive to be better than the last pitch.  Our goals will include winning the Lewis & Clark Conference, winning a district title, and making a run in the postseason.  We also want to continue building strong student-athletes in the classroom.  It is always a joy to find out when we have players eligible to be considered for Academic All-State.  The goal is to make our players better individuals on and off the field.”