After the 2013 season ended earlier than the team hoped for, the Leopard baseball team is looking forward to the start of the 2014 season.

The Leopard’s season ended with a short playoff run after losing their series against Longview Pine Tree 2-1 in the second round.

However, last season is out of the minds of the coaches and players as they are looking forward and not dwelling on the past.

“I try to not let the end of last season affect this season,” head coach Russell Reichenbach said. “Of course it was a tough end to last season and we would like to go further, but this is a new year with a lot of new guys. We are focused on accomplishing our goals for 2014, not focused on 2013.”

As Reichenbach points out, there will be a lot of new players this season as the team graduated 10 seniors.

“While we did graduate quite a few seniors, the team will not go through huge changes,” Reichenbach said. “We expect to compete and win every year. We have a lot of tough, competitive kids wanting to step in and play well. There are many open spots to be filled and the kids are anxious to make those spots their own.”

The mindset going into today’s tryouts is a positive one.
“The main thing I am looking for is maximum effort,” Reichenbach said. “It has been almost a year since the guys have gotten to play for their high school, so I am expecting to see a lot of excitement and energy from the guys as they get a chance to represent their school.”

The first step in doing that comes today. And while it will be months before the playoffs begin, Reichenbach has high hopes.

“I am not the kind to ‘guarantee’ wins and championships,” Reichenbach said. “I would rather our play do the talking. But I can say, I have high expectations for our kids and our program. We play in a very tough district, but we have a very tough team. I expect us to compete and fight to get into the playoffs. Once we accomplish that, anything can happen.