By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
An experienced group of Millers will be taking to the field Monday for the Noblesville baseball team.
That experience will be necessary, as Millers coach Justin Keever notes that his team will be ready “to tackle the toughest schedule in Indiana.”
The Opening Day lineup will be familiar to fans of the Millers, who are ranked No. 9 in the Class 4A pre-season coaches poll. Seven starters return for Noblesville, including three pitchers: Senior Tyler Owens and juniors Clay Holzworth and Reese Sharp.
“The Millers return a pitching staff that pitched 83 percent of the innings in 2017,” said Keever.
Owens was named to the All-Hoosier Crossroads Conference team last year as a pitcher. He finished his junior season 6-4 with 32 strikeouts and a 2.56 earned-run average. Sharp led Noblesville in strikeouts last season with 46, while Holzworth had a solid 2.94 ERA.
In addition, Keever has a trio of pitchers, senior right-hander Ryan Plummer, junior left-hander Zach Gruver and sophomore right-hander Connor Vanosdol who will “look to come in and provide depth to the experienced staff.”
On the offensive side, the Millers have some solid young hitters returning. Junior DJ Owens brings back the most Noblesville hits with 24, while Sharp had 18 runs batted in and three home runs last season.
Keever said that his expected position starters include sophomore newcomer Ethan Imel as the catcher, with senior Jacob Thieman at first base. DJ Owens and Tyler Owens will split time at second, with senior Jackson Ramey at third. Sophomore Cooper Miles, who played the majority of varsity games last year as a freshman, is slated for shortstop. Goudy and Sharp will be designated hitters.
The outfield will see some rotation. Sharp and junior Zac Tuinei will split at left field, with Tyler Owens trading center field duties with fellow seniors Mark Goudy and Bryce Randolph. Tuinei and Randolph are slated for right field action. Keever said that the seniors Thieman, Randolph and Ramey served as reliable back-ups in 2017.
Noblesville will have a tough schedule right out of the gate. The Millers will host Cathedral on Monday; the Irish are tied for No. 1 in the 4A pre-season poll. Who is the other No. 1? Fishers, the team that Noblesville will play in its first HCC series of the season, April 5-7.
In between, the Millers take their annual trip to Tennessee, where they will play some of the best teams the Volunteer State has to offer. That includes a March 30 date with Farragut, one of the traditional powerhouses in Tennessee. Noblesville returns home April 3 with a home game against Frankfort before its series with the Tigers.
Other games of note include HCC series with No. 4 Zionsville (April 17-19), No. 5 Hamilton Southeastern (May 3-5), a game with Class 2A No. 1 Wapahani (May 1), and its game with Carmel, which will be played at Victory Field on April 27 as part of the Victory Field Classic.
Noblesville roster
Seniors: Kade Gorman, Mark Goudy, AJ Gray, Tyler Owens, Ryan Plummer, Jackson Ramey, Bryce Randolph, Jacob Thieman.
Juniors: Zach Gruver, Clay Holzworth, Cade Nelis, DJ Owens, Matt Peek, Reese Sharp, Zac Tuinei, Brady Walden.
Sophomores: Ethan Imel, Cooper Miles, Camden Nagel, Connor Vanosdol, Alex Zavac.
Noblesville senior Tyler Owens is one of three starting pitchers that is returning to the Millers lineup this season. Owens was named to the All-Hoosier Crossroads Conference team last year, finishing his junior season with 32 strikeouts and a 2.56 earned-run average. (Kent Graham/File photo)
, on 04, 07, 2017