The 2009 Oxford Varsity Wildcat Baseball team is returns to the field this year after proving yet again what kind of powerhouse they are in the Flint Metro League following their district title last year.
The Wildcats look to reload, starting with the addition of new Head Coach Jeff Willis, who takes over a very young team that saw a lot of Seniors graduate off of last years team.
He comes into the program with 11 years of coaching experience at Orchard Lake Saint Mary’s under his belt, and he is looking to keep the winning ways going.
‘The program was in good hands last year, and I want to keep it that way,? said Coach Willis.
One way that a team can stay competitive is to have great leadership and a solid defense up the middle, and the Wildcats have both.
They will look to Senior Captains Jeff Charles, who was a starter on last years team, and Senior Nick Tombella, who bring his poise from driving a winning playoff football team on over to the baseball field. Leadership will also be provided from last years returning shortstop Mitch Stefanski and returning second basemen Jordan MacOcha. They will also be Captains on Coach Willis ballclub.
Add in the addition of Freshman Kyle Hartwick behind the plate, who will rotate with Eric Perry, and the expectations couldn’t be higher. ‘Our goal is that we should be one of the top three teams and we should be in the thick of things at season’s end,? said Coach Willis. ‘We know that we are good enough to have success, now we have to believe and go out and do it. If we don’t play outside of ourselves and we execute properly, we will do fine.?
Their first test of the season came Tuesday, March 31 against Romeo High School, falling short 6-0.
Coach Willis said that the score wasn’t an indicator of how close the game actually was. The Wildcats were trailing 1-0 after five innings, but in the sixth, it started to fall apart. Perry was up 0-2 with two outs when he hit a Romeo batter, and Romeo was able to turn that into a five run inning, putting the game out of reach.
‘We had guys in scoring position two out of the first three innings with zero or one outs, and we couldn’t score,? said Coach Willis. ‘We played a solid game and we felt like we were in position to win the game from the beginning.?
Their next chance to get on the field is a double header against Waterford Kettering on April 17.