Going into the 2009 campaign, there was an admitted level of anxiety for Apalachee High School baseball coach Mike Cavey.
The Wildcats had struggled the previous season in Class AAA and now AHS was not only moving up but moving into one of the toughest baseball regions in the state.
Faced with trying to build a program with little winning history, Cavey knew the season could be a long one.
However, the coach and his players never stopped believing and by the time the season was over, AHS had emerged as the surprise team in 8-AAAA.
“I feel that we are much improved over where we stood last year at this point in time,” the coach said as he looked back on the season. “I think the boys are buying in to working hard and understanding that they can win.”
While pleased by the progress made on the diamond, Cavey is looking for more improvement in the future.
“We are no where yet where we want to be, but we are progressing forward and that’s good to see,” the coach said. “ We would like to make this a winning program, and we understand that it will take small successful steps in making this happen.”
When the desired level of success is obtained for the program, the seniors in the Class of 2009 will have played a key role in building the necessary foundation.
“The seniors we had did a tremendous job of helping us get better as a program,” Cavey said. “Aaron Paradise, Tim Whiting, Justin Shultz and Chandler Murphy each contributed in a positive way. They helped to lay a foundation that needs to continually be built upon. Each of these guys will be missed.”
The AHS baseball team will now look to summer work as preparations for the 2010 season begin. The Wildcats will continue to compete in Region 8-AAAA in which being one of the four state playoff teams has become an accomplishment in itself.
