DECATUR -- The 2016 Decatur baseball season is slated to begin March 29 at home against the Watts Engineers at Edmiston ball park in Decatur. And, this season promises to be one of the best in recent history, according to Jason Porter, Decatur's head baseball coach.
"This year we have a lot of genuine excitement among the players, something I haven't seen to date," Porter said. "In the first two practices so far, the guys are hustling right out of the gate. They want to play baseball."
In recent years, Decatur baseball has taken a back seat to football, basketball, soccer and track programs. The lack of interest in the sport is evident in the younger ages around Decatur. But that is beginning to turn around with the rise in the Decatur Youth Program's T-ball program and the growing interest in building a little league team in the Decatur area. These programs could be the key to building a successful high school baseball program in coming years.
"We are starting a baseball culture in this town and in the school," Porter said. "This will help us to grow the program and keep our players interested in the sport."
This year the high school implemented a policy whereby student athletes would be able to play only one sport at a time. In the last few years, athletes were allowed to participate in multiple sports during the spring. Some chose to play soccer and run track, while others chose baseball and track. This caused conflicts that often led to deficiency in once sport or the other. Unfortunately for the baseball program, the loss of experienced players like Bracy Owens, who choose to pursue track, will mean Porter will have to find talent among his younger players to fill the gaps.
"We have the usual mix, guys who played a little bit before and guys who never played before," said Porter. "They see this game and they are interested in it and they want to participate in it and are willing to do the little things to make this a successful program."
The Decatur program has gotten an infusion of younger players, some never playing the sport before. This makes Porter's job a little harder since he has to spend time teaching the basics. But the interest in baseball drives the inexperienced players to work harder to catch up with the ones that have game experience under their belts.
"They are watching the other players and seeing how the game works," Porter said. "They are listening to what I have to say about the uncomfortable motion in throwing and catches in certain ways and they are doing their best to improve themselves for the good of the team."
Porter's son, Jay, is one of the key components in this years program. Jay Porter has played baseball since he was old enough to hold a bat. Over the years, Jay has built a genuine love of the sport. When he graduates in 2017, he plans on playing college baseball. This love of the game enables Jay to help his father in the management of the team while sharing his knowledge with his teammates to make them better players.
"It not unusual for Jay to take his teammates aside and work on building hitting or fielding skills," Porter said.
Another player that stepped into the leadership role for the Decatur program is Ryan Shaffer. Shaffer has played on the team since his freshman year and has become another one of Porter's more experienced players. He aids Porter in motivating his teammates to hustle during transition times between drills in practice.
"Ryan is one of those guys that is stepping up and taking charge," Porter said. "In the past, he was a little timid around the older players on the team. This year he is turning into a real team leader."
With leaders like Jay Porter and Ryan Shaffer, this may be the year the Decatur baseball program breaks out and moves toward a winning season and a possible district, regional and state championship. Since the Bulldogs will be moving into the 1A conference next season, it would be a fitting end to its 2A conference career to at least bring a district championship home to Decatur.
Decatur Schedule
3/29 Watts Home
3/31 Union Christian Home
4/4 Eureka Springs Home
4/7 JC-Westside Home
4/10 Magazine Home
4/12 Shiloh (freshmen) Away
4/14 Hackett Away
4/18 Mountainburg Away
4/21 Hartford Away
4/27 District Tournament
Sports on 03/09/2016