Don’t read too much into the numbers.
Kentridge High baseball coach John Flanigan certainly isn’t this spring.
And understandably so. With 11 seniors gracing last year’s roster, many of whom had earned all-league accolades the season before, the Chargers struggled out of the gate, dropping four of their first six South Puget Sound League North Division games.
By season’s end, Kentridge, the preseason favorite, wasn’t even a factor in the SPSL North race.
So when Flanigan takes stock in this year’s roster and barely gives a shrug at the fact that the Chargers will have just one senior in the starting lineup, it’s understandable.
“We’re young. But we have talent and guys who are willing to work hard,” said Flanigan, who is in his ninth year with the program. “I think we have a very solid chance of getting (into the playoffs).”
Though Kentridge graduated a considerable crop, talent remains abundant.
Shortstop Stetson Olsen was one of the North’s best last year as a sophomore, hitting .333 with one home run and earning honorable mention honors.
At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, and with plenty of speed and athleticism, the sky’s the limit for Olsen.
“He has the potential to be a D-I guy,” Flanigan said. “He has power from both sides of the plate, good range and a strong arm.”
Kentridge also will benefit from the return of Ben Mora, the team’s lone senior. Mora led the Chargers with a .423 batting average last year.
On the mound, the Chargers will go with a the right-handed, left-handed junior combination of Matt Jackson and Hayden Njos an unheralded 1-2 punch that could key the team’s success.
“They’ll be throwing some big innings for us,” Flanigan said.
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