The Apalachee High School baseball team was one of the surprises of Region 8-AAAA this past spring.
Coach Mike Cavey’s squad remained in the playoff chase longer than most experts would have predicted. Now Cavey is hoping the progress gained in 2009 will carry over into 2010.
The returning AHS players began making preparations for the next season earlier this summer.
“We were able to see some guys play in positions that need to be filled for next season,” Cavey said. “Summer is a good time to allow guys to experiment with other positions and find out if they can adapt to them or not. It allows chemistry to be developed between the returning guys and the new guys that are coming up to varsity. We had some good moments and bad moments.”
Several summer goals were also met, the coach said.
“Our goals were to see some new guys in certain positions and that was accomplished,” Cavey said. “We were also working on our mental part of the game, which needs to be worked on continuously throughout the year. We still have a lot of work to do, but I think we have some players who are ready to begin winning on a steady basis.”
The Diamond Cats will continue competing in the perennially tough Region 8-AAAA next season. The region has seen several teams advance deep into the playoffs in the past few seasons including Loganville which won state in 2008 and advanced to the Final Four this spring.
