With only two seniors returning to finish out their high school baseball careers, coach Dylan Wood will rely on mostly underclassmen to fill his lineup card this spring when the Tigers take the field.

Unless he is on the mound, senior Ernie Boggs will most likely anchor the outfield while roaming center, and Brett Nauerth looks to be holding down the hot corner at third.

Two juniors, Luke Ritter and Jamie Smith, also look to be in the mix at catcher. Ritter will see time at second and Smith at first. Smith is coming off a knee injury which will hinder his catching abilities at the beginning of the season.

Sophomores Colby Mitchell and Chevy Grimsley along with freshmen Derek Rockett, Will Spilman, Jaxon Hudson, Jordan Fuemmeler, and Micah Kirby round out the team. 

All of the players are returning from the fall season in which Higbee competes.

“Our infield will be dominant,” said coach Wood. “Chevy Grimsley will normally be on third, unless Derek Rockett is pitching. Then Chevy will move to short and Brett Neurth will take over third. Luke Ritter or Colby Mitchell on second base and Jamie Smith or Will Spilman playing first.”

Wood looks to improve on the fall record of 3-4 by relying mainly on the leadership of Derek Rockett and junior Jamie Smith. Although only a freshman, coach Wood has labeled Rockett as his ace and looks to fill the No. 1 starting pitcher slot tor the Tigers. Grimsley, Smith, Boggs and Fuemmeler look to fill out the starting pitchers with Will Spilman and Jaxon Hudson holding down the bullpen roles.

The outfield most likely will be manned by Jaxon Hudson in left, Boggs in center and Micah Kirby in right.

Speed will be a key to this team as coach Wood pointed out Rockett, Boggs, Fuemmeler, Grimsley and Ritter as being able to display their speed in almost all aspects of the game.

With Smith and Spilman fighting back from injuries, the early season lineup might be a juggling act for coach Wood. With a roster of only 11, however, that might be the story of the season. “We have to adjust and develop secondary positions for some guys in order to allow for pitching situations,” he said.

“I’m predicting a winning season this year. The whole team is working their rear ends off to have a winning season. Last fall we came close, going into conference almost even then the two conference losses sent us to a losing record,” Wood said. “Due to quarantine, going into conference we were unable to field our best team. I think we will do great things this year. I have a lot of confidence in our staff and we have the right guys in our program.”

Higbee’s first game is currently set for March 31 at Bevier.