Titans banking on experience

Posted: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 10:06 am



by Peter Adelsen

The Taylor Titans (13-11, 2-5 MIC in 2009) look to be competitive in the 2010 season.

The Titans are returning seven starters and look to use that experience to its advantage.

"We have high expectations for ourselves," Taylor coach Jeremy Luna said. "We return an extremely solid core of guys."

Luna also said that he hopes that having four seniors and eight juniors brings the needed experience and no nerves out on the ball field.

Within the experience, Taylor returns two stand-out returnees, who are all-conference seniors Seth Vautaw and Dalton Tinsley. Last season, Vautaw had a .420 batting average and Tinsley had a .470 batting average.

"You throw those two guys into the mix, who are two of the top hitters in the county, we feel real confident," Luna said. "We feel like our expectations are extremely high and we'll see what happens when we go out and play the games."

Luna admits that it will be tough knocking down the perennial top teams of Western, Northwestern and 2A state runner-up Lewis Cass within the conference.

"Us, Eastern, Maconaquah, Peru, we're always trying to fight for the scraps," he said. "I think some of us are ready to step up and take on that three-headed monster up at the top. The best part about baseball is that you've got to go out and play the games."

In Taylor's opening game on March 29, Titans' junior Tyler Simmons threw a four-inning no hitter with 11 strike outs in the 3-1 win against Frankton.