By: Lanie Roberts
As we move closer to the end of the school year, it’s time for the next round of sports for Salem High School. In the spring there are a variety of different sports for students to participate in, including: track, softball, baseball, girls tennis and boys golf.
There are 16 girls on the softball team this season. With five seniors on the team, there is no shortage of leadership. The seniors are Kirsten Sexton, Danielle Potts, Gabrielle Hypes, Kendall Hickey and Keriauna Voyles.
Coach Rodney Brough has set high goals for the team. This season he expects the team to have an average GPA of 3.6 or higher and to be competitive in conference. Three of the players are out for the season with injuries. Kenadie Garloch, Harley Walters and Sexton are stuck on the sidelines recovering from injuries from earlier this year.
“As a team we will also strive to hold each other accountable, not only in softball but in their studies as well,” Brough said.
There are 28 boys on the baseball team, eight of which are seniors. The seniors are Zayne Paulley, Cameron Albertson, Joshua Burton, Blake Lorhman, Evan Bowling, Les Bowles, Gage Prasil and Joel Altemeyer.
Coach Jason Pepmeier has very high expectations for the team this season. There are a lot of returning players from last year and Pepmeier expects a lot of the kids to have good seasons.
The team is being led by their two senior pitchers: Albertson and Burton. Paulley is playing in right field and Bowling is the lead-off hitter.
Pepmeier is hoping to compete in the conference and sectional championship this season.
“We have a very strong freshman class this year that we hope will help us reach our team goals,” he said.
Seth Hobson is the coach for boys golf. This season there are 14 people on the team, six of which are seniors. The seniors are Alex Wilcox, Evan Smedley, Weston Smith, Robert Heckman, Rhilee Bullock and Mason Rippy.
Hobson wants to compete all season long and get better leading up to sectional. He wants the golfers to enjoy playing since this is a game they can play for years to come.
“I just want to say that these guys are a blast to work with and I can’t wait to see what they can accomplish this season,” Hobson said.
Lisa Nice is the coach of girls tennis. There are 18 players on the team. The four seniors are Isabel Tunney, Victoria Gomez, Mayce Crane and Audrey Heavin.
Since the team only graduated one senior last year, Nice is anticipating that the returning players will be an asset to the team this season. The team had several close matches last season and Nice has a plan with hopes to win those matches this year.
“A key factor will be that we have to be more aggressive with our shots, fundamentally sound and willing to take a few risks and get to the net,” Nice said.
Girls track is coached by Roger Bundy and Chris Mahuron. There are 15 people on the team, four of those being seniors: Allison Clodfelter, Brooklyn Davisson, Maggie Gibson and Lanie Roberts.
With 11 of 15 runners being underclassmen, Bundy wants the team to focus on improving each practice. Since the team is so young, Bundy does not have any expectations for this season, he just wants to see improvement. He said winning the county meet and having some individuals advance to the regional meet would be a successful season.
After the invitational meet, the team will be unable to use the track due to the renovation with the addition of a turf field. As of now there is no concrete plan for what to do for practices, but Bundy has some ideas of where to go. The team might be practicing at Eastern, Scottsburg or make creative ideas for practices.
Even though the season has started, Bundy is always looking for new members. He said track isn’t just running, it also includes jumping and throwing events. Bundy hopes that next year the team will have new participants that have never ran track before.
“So far this season it has been a fun group of girls to work with and they work hard and are willing to learn about the sport and try new events,” Bundy said.
The coach of the boys track team is Josh Lewis. There are 29 athletes on the team and four seniors: Jacob Miller, Gabe Gibbons, Rhilee Bullock and Jason Sipe.
The boys track team is also really young this year so Lewis expects to get better every meet. He predicts that the team will be competitive with all the teams they run against and hopes to win the county meet again.
Lewis does not anticipate any problems with not being able to use the track. While he believes that it is not ideal to not have a track, he is certain that the team will not suffer. Overall, he is very excited for this season and hopes for the rain to quit so the team can go to a meet.
“Track isn't everybody's cup of tea so when you have a group that is enthusiastic about it, it's really great to have,” Lewis said.