* Robbinsville baseball season preview
Coming off a season where the program had arguably its best showing in recent memory, Robbinsville’s varsity baseball team returns three experienced seniors for the 2022 slate.
The Black Knights went 7-7 during the shortened season last year, but ended the run with a remarkable 12-7 road victory over Hayesville on June 10. Up to that point, the Yellow Jackets were undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state.
“Last season was a good season,” said Robbinsville head coach Brent Icenhower, back for his third season at the helm.
“We let a couple (of) games get away that we should have won, but overall I was very pleased with how we finished. It was a special group of boys. I had five seniors who were all very good baseball players, along with some underclassmen who brought a lot of skills to the team.”
Icenhower hopes his returning squad can channel the swagger from the win to build another strong run. He boasted about what each of the three seniors this year – Kade Garrison, Cole Patterson and Carson White – bring to the table.
“Cole was a full-time starter last year at second base and he really had a good season, all the way around,” Icenhower said. “Besides playing infield, he will be on the mound some this year as well.
“Kade has a lot of baseball knowledge. He is a utility player who could play almost any position at a high level; expect to see him on the mound a lot this season. Kade has also been named one of the captains this year and is one of the team’s leaders.
“Unfortunately, Carson is having to deal with an ankle injury for the start of the season, but hopefully in a few weeks he will be back in action. Carson is another player who has played a lot (of) baseball growing up and has a lot of knowledge on the game. He should also be toward the front of our pitching rotation once he gets back healthy.”
Outside of the elder players, juniors Dylan Anderson, Lathan Buchanan, Jude Campbell, Bryc Garrison and Alex Knight make up the upperclassmen portion of the roster. Otherwise, Robbinsville is stockpiled with freshmen and sophomores.
The Knights traveled to Bob Lewis Field in Candler on Feb. 19 for a two-game jamboree, which gave Icenhower an early glimpse at the team’s cohesiveness.
“From the scrimmage, there were positive things seen and plenty of things to work on,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say we have gelled just yet as a team – but we will, once we get plenty of reps on the field and some game-like experience.”
As far as the overall picture, Icenhower firmly believes Robbinsville will be a tough out for any team it faces. He added that the Knights are looking to break an 11-year playoff drought.
“Conference-wise, I see that any team could beat the others on any given day,” Icenhower said. “In the preseason picks, we are probably somewhere in the middle of the pack, with Murphy probably being the favorite.
“But as long as we throw strikes, put the ball in play and do the fundamentals, we can compete with anyone. I am looking forward to the season and really enjoy working with these boys. We hope to see plenty of fans there.”
Robbinsville begins the season Friday in another neutral-site game against Mountain Heritage, which will be played at Bob Lewis Field in Candler.