The baseball and softball teams at Mingus Union High School will see a higher level of competition this spring, as the Marauders moved up from Division III to II in those sports.
The Marauders baseball team will be challenged to improve on a state quarterfinal loss as a No. 6 seed to eventual 2013 Division III champion Fountain Hills High School, while the Marauders softball team faces a similar challenge against schools bigger than state runner-up Winslow High School, who downed the Marauders 4-2 in last spring’s state quarterfinals.
Head coach Bob Young will take on that challenge with an experienced core of seven upperclassmen across the starting lineup, including catcher Ryan Sullivan, first baseman Austin Zwart, outfielders Chris Gonzales and Marshall Shill and utilitymen Tyler Bond, Easton Bright and Taylor Mathe, who cover the infield as well as back up Zwart and Shill on a pitching staff heavy with right-handers.
“Division II schools are deeper” than Division II schools, Young explained. “We have to overcome that by our own development and health.
“Our two state championships came in Division II — 2008 and 2009 — so we just have to improve daily.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, March 5, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
