KFDM COOP Posted April 30, 2009 Report Posted April 30, 2009 Deweyville is hot heading towards playoffs Van Wade The Orange Leader DEWEYVILLE — It’s been quite a nice baseball campaign for the Deweyville Pirates. Coach Darin Fletcher has observed his squad make big strides in District 23-2A, especially in the second half as the Pirates (13-7, 8-3) nabbed the third-place spot. The Pirates have been swinging the bats like crazy lately and have won five of their last six 23-2A games. scoring 60 runs during that span. “When the season started, I thought hitting was going to be our strong point,†said Fletcher. “We came out of the gate a little slow, but lately, the kids have been on fire. They really hit their stride at the right time of the season.†The Pirates are hitting a lofty .350 as a team. In their last two 23-2A games against Hardin (a 15-3 win) and Warren (a 23-2 win), the Pirates have piled up 38 runs. Senior fireplug Seth Williams leads the hitting parade. Williams is hitting a monstrous .491. He also leads the squad in runs (29), doubles (7), runs batted in (27) and home runs (2). Garrett Haney has had a huge year as well. The third baseman-pitcher is batting a lofty .449. He leads the way with 31 hits and has 24 RBI to go along with four triples. Keeton Addison is the third Pirate that’s over .400. He’s batting .413 has 24 runs along with 14 RBI and six doubles. “What more can you say about Seth, he’s one of those kids that you can call a warrior,†said Fletcher. “He’ll run through a wall for you and is all-district in three sports. Keeton, he’s the same type of athlete, involved in three sports. Garrett, he’s been a big plus for us all year. His bat has been awesome. He along with Seth and Eric Avila have been solid on the mound for us too. We’ve also had several other kids step up big.†No doubt, the Pirates are a well-rounded unit. Senior outfielder Kane Kachtik, the former running back who was the Offensive MVP on the All-Leader Football Team last season, is batting a solid .385 with 17 RBI and 17 runs scored. Second base sparkplug Ronnie Anglin hits .353 with 17 RBI and 20 runs scored. Avila is hitting .348 with 18 runs scored. First baseman Hunter Manning is at .317 with 11 RBI and 15 runs scored. Michael Williams (.286) and Brady Williams (.250) have also intertwined well into the lineup. “I love the makeup of our team,†said Fletcher. “All of the kids get along great, there’s no animosity. They just go out and work their tails off.†The Pirates really helped their cause when they defeated fourth-place Kountze 6-5 at home in a nailbiter Apr. 13. “That was certainly the big one,†expressed Fletcher. “We edged them here and beat them 10-8 at their place. If we could have one back, it would’ve been the East Chambers game at home (a 2-1 Pirate loss). It’s hard to lose a game like that.†The Pirates have sealed the third-place playoff spot out of 23-2A. But they still have a chance to disrupt what happens at the top of the district. Buna (13-7, 10-1) is in first-place, a half-game ahead of second-place East Chambers (14-6, 10-2), which has already wrapped up the regular season. The Pirates still have Buna left to wrap up the season. The two teams were going to play tonight at Pirate Field. However, the UIL has intervened, postponing all sporting events until May 11 They have to get that game in before May 19. A Pirate win would force a tie between Buna and EC for the title. “The kids were really wanting to play that game in a bad way,†said Fletcher. “We struggled at the plate in the first half when we went to Buna (a 5-0 Pirate loss). The kids are swinging the bats really well right now and they want another crack at it.†Due to there being no District 24-3A, the Pirates will have a bye in the bidistrict round and will have to play a one-game area round playoff game sometime between May 24-26. “With the new playoff setup, things are going to be different, that’s for sure,†said Fletcher. “The main thing we have to do is to keep the kids focused and make sure they continue to have fun. We still have almost three weeks before we get the Buna game in and then we have a playoff bye. That just sounds crazy.â€
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