(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

BELPRE — Third-year Belpre baseball head coach Nate Watson is gearing up for a very different type of season as he comes back to head up the Golden Eagles baseball team.

Unlike in past years, where the team had been led by veteran players, this year’s team is comprised mainly of young talent, with some even being new to the sport as a whole.

“My expectations for the season are really getting our young guys to learn how to play the game of baseball,” said Watson. “We have a lot of inexperience, a lot of brand new guys to the sport. So expectations is we learn and grow.”

Despite the lack of experience inhabited by the young roster, the Golden Eagles are starting to develop a projected lineup that combines youth with experience. Warren David is expected to lead off, followed by AJ Copen in the two hole. The middle of the lineup is expected to have Carson Woodford or Blake Binegar batting third, with Joey Lockhart batting cleanup. The fifth spot is expected to have Maddox Crum, with the sixth our seventh spot up for grabs by new Golden Eagle Slade Atkinson.

On the mound, Copen and Woodford will serve as the team’s primary pitchers.

“Once again, we’re right back with AJ Copen and Carson Woodford as our main one and two pitchers this year,” said Watson. “They’re gonna be our big-time workhorses this year, and we told the rest of the team that after those two it’s a free for all. We’ve got fourteen guys and we may very well have fourteen pitchers.”

Rounding out the lineup are young players Logan Kimball and Colten Gibbs, young players who are still in the process of adjusting to the varsity level of play.

Coach Watson is counting on some key players to emerge in leadership positions this season. The Golden Eagles have a junior transfer in Slade Atkinson, who has some valuable experience from previous teams and is expected to make an impact right away. The Golden Eagles are also expecting Copen and Woodford to take big steps this year.

Though the team’s biggest strength lies in its chemistry, the inexperience of the young players remains the biggest challenge.

“We’re almost entirely made up of freshmen and sophomores,” said Watson. “We have a lot of guys new to the sport. Some of them had never touched a baseball before this season.”

Due to that inexperience, Watson is adjusting his coaching approach to focus purely on teaching the team rather than solely on competing.

“It’s taking a step back,” said Watson. “It’s relearning how to coach guys that are just now learning the game and trying to help them love it and build a good work ethic.”

As the start of the season draws near, Watson is asking for patience and a sense of trust from the players, their families, and the Golden Eagle fanbase alike.

“Enjoy it,” said Watson. “Don’t beat yourself up, and don’t beat our team up. It’s going to be a lot of learning, but this group’s future is bright.”

With young talent that fuels the energy of this Belpre Golden Eagles baseball team, the team will hope to build a long-term foundation for years to come, a goal that begins when the team travels to face Fort Frye on Saturday.

SOFTBALL

Second-year head softball coach Steve Welch is in a rebuilding phase with the Belpre Golden Eagles as they look to build upon their young and inexperienced roster that they inhabit as they try and make progress from their 7-10 season from a year ago.

Unlike the prior season, the Golden Eagles have a roster full of freshmen and sophomores, including some players who are completely new to the sport of softball. With the youth of the group of kids, Coach Welch has been quite honest about the fact that this season is more about growth and development.

“We’re growing this year is the best way to use that word. We’re really, really young and really inexperienced,” said Welch. “Our mottos this year are ‘trust the process’ and ‘be better today than yesterday.'”

The Golden Eagles’ preparations for the season haven’t been easy, as the combined number of youth players and inconsistent weather has proved to be an issue when training.

“It has been hard to work on defense, especially for those who are still learning the basics of the game,” said Welch. “We’ve got three or four kids who have never played before. It’s tough because it’s easier to teach visually, but we’re doing the best we can.”

The inexperience of the team has made position changes hard to establish as the coaches are still trying to get a feel of their players.

The change that will be experienced by the Golden Eagles this season will be at the pitching circle as they anticipate a change from behind the plate by their senior Lucy Ruble, a veteran on the team who is switching from catcher to pitcher in order to fill a gap in the lineup.

This change has made way for Cailyn Roush, a sophomore, to take on the role behind the plate. Along with that change, junior Madi Lauer is expected to give up her role in center field in an effort to take on a number of roles such as pitching, catching and third base.

“We have a plan, it’s just not set in stone yet,” Welch said. “We’re working on it, but we’re not quite there yet.”

In a recent scrimmage against Parkersburg High, the Golden Eagles showed improvement, especially in their energy and effort.

“If you didn’t look at the scoreboard, it actually went really well,” said Welch. “The biggest thing we took away from it is the excitement. There’s a lot of positivity and they’re getting better each and every time they’re out playing together.”

Welch has a number of players he looks on to provide guidance as the team continues to develop. Ruble’s desire to switch positions has shown a willingness to sacrifice one’s position to help the team, while first baseman Ava Brookover, an all-district player, has taken a leadership role amongst the team alongside Ruble.

“They’re going to back each other up,” Welch said. “They’re not going to let each other get down, and that’s huge for such a young team.”

While team chemistry is becoming a strength for the Golden Eagles, inexperience is still the biggest weakness for the team this season. Welch knows that there are going to be growing pains this season, especially with a tough schedule to open the season against Marietta, Frontier, Parkersburg and Parkersburg South.

Instead of worrying about wins and losses, Welch is more focused on the long-term growth of his team.

“We’re just going to be us,” said Welch. “We’re going to play the game, have fun, and not worry about the scoreboard this year. We’re going to grow and get better.”

TRACK

The Belpre Golden Eagles are looking to start the track season off with a new head coach and a new mind-set

“My number one expectation of any track team is to have fun,” said the new head coach of the Golden Eagle track team, Keith McFee. “If you’re not having fun doing track, you’re doing something wrong.”

McFee is the new head coach of the Golden Eagle track team. He took over the position just weeks before the season starts, stating that it has been a smooth transition for him with the help of his staff and others.

“The preparation was a little bit quick,” said McFee. “But we met and started working well almost instantly.”

The Golden Eagles may not have a plethora of runners, but they certainly have some of the best in their conference. Shy Miller is coming back to the track for the Golden Eagles as one of the best in the area after winning the conference championships in both the 800 and 1600 events last year. Nathan Tippie is coming back to the track for the Golden Eagle boys after winning the shot put last year.

“Those would probably be the top two,” McFee said. “They’re both leaders for us.”

The boys have a chance to be strong in the relay races as well, with several runners competing for a position, including Aedan Mullins and Johnny Miller, who ran for the successful 4×800 team last year. Still, the biggest challenge for the team will be numbers.

“The weakness is just numbers,” McFee said. “These kids are juggling more than ever, jobs, school, sports, so it’s tough sometimes.”

That means practices look different each day, a big hump that the Golden Eagles will have to work over in order to achieve consistency this season.

“You may have your whole team there, or you may have half,” he said. “You just adjust and keep going.” Despite all this, however, the team is a tight-knit, motivated bunch.

“I think we have a pretty close-knit group,” McFee said.

McFee is also making sure his athletes stay healthy, making changes to the workout to prevent injury.

“If I can try to limit injuries, then everything else should be lots of fun,” he said.

Ultimately through the suddenness of his promotion and the pursuit of success with his team, McFee has a simple philosophy.

“I think fun above all else,” he said. “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong.”