Expect to see a bit more confidence when Polk baseball players take the plate next season.
PCHS Junior Varsity Coach Billy Alm said 16 players spent the last month playing four to five games a week on the county’s first junior legion team.
“Our kids are going to walk out on the field next year kind of strutting because we were able to build a lot of confidence at the plate and that has been the biggest advantage I’ve seen,” he said.
A group from middle school, junior varsity and varsity Polk County teams played together for 20 games during the month of June.
Pushing for the league was Mark Mazzilli, whose son plays on the JV team. Mazzilli went around talking to the middle school kids, while Alm said he talked with his guys on the JV team.
“They were all in as soon as we started,” Alm said. “I didn’t have to go up and twist their arm or anything. They knew how much it could mean for the program. It’s something surrounding counties have done for years that we just haven’t had the opportunity to do until now,” Alm said.
Alm said for teams east of Polk County — Lincoln County, East Rutherford and Shelby – baseball dominates players minds year round. He said a smaller school like Polk has less kids to go around so many end up having their attention stretched between two and even three sports.
“They’ve always been one step up and this we believe will really bring our kids up to the next level,” Alm said.