.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
LIMA — Balance.
That’s what Lima Locos general manager Steve Meyer and coach Chad Ehrnsberger went after this past offseason.
The goal was to assemble a team with the needed ingredients of offense, defense, pitching and speed.
If the mix is right, it will be another bright year for the Locos.
The Locos, a charter member of the Great Lakes Collegiate League in 1987, will open their 29th season season at 7 p.m. tonight at Grand Lake. The Locos’ home opener is set for 7 p.m. Saturday against the Xenia Scouts at Simmons Field.
“Steve and I met quite frequently in the offseason when we were getting players and we identified certain things we wanted,” Ehrnsberger said. “We have a good mix of guys. We have some power guys. We have speed guys and we have contact guys. I think that’s how you build a team. I’m really excited about what they have.”
The Locos return three players from last year’s team that won the GLCL regular-season championship with a 27-13 record. The Locos lost to eventual-champion Licking County in the best-of-three semifinals.
The Locos return first team all-GLCL left-hander Dan Sexton, who pitched at Sinclair Community College this year after a year at Tiffin. He went 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA last summer in Lima. At Sinclair, he was 10-0 with a 2.57. In 70 innings, he struck out 76.
Sexton has signed with Wright State for this fall.
“I worked on getting more command of my fastball,” Sexton said. “And my change-up and slider have been working as well as ever.”
Sexton usually throws his fastball 86-to-88 mph, but he topped out at 91 in the spring.
“We expect him (Sexton) to do great things for us,” Ehrnsberger said. “The only concern is he did throw a lot of innings (70) this spring, so we’ll try to keep his pitch count down throughout the summer. He’s a battler and is a guy who wants to throw the ball all the time.”
Also back is Shawnee grad Tyler Anderson (Bowling Green), who was shut down for over two months with a sore right shoulder at BG, but is healthy and set to pitch this summer. He went 1-2 with a 2.58 ERA last summer.
“I’ve been rehabbing and throwing since I came back from BG,” Anderson said. “There have been no problems.”
Anderson has vivid memories of losing to eventual-champion Licking County in the best-of-three semifinals.
“Running into Licking County is always tough,” Anderson said. “The coaches always talk about the rivalry between us and Licking County and now it is a rivalry for Bonifay, Sexton and I from last year.”
The third returnee is knuckleball pitcher Michael Bonifay (North Greenville, Greenville, S.C.), who went 2-0 with a 1.80 last summer. He was 6-3 with a 4.54 at North Greenville.
Bonifay, a former center fielder, throws a knuckleball almost 50 percent of the time.
“During the school year, I threw my curveball a lot, so I threw a lot of those,” Bonifay said. “This summer I’m looking to get back to throwing it 50, 60 percent of the time.”
Another player familiar with the Locos is left-hander Will Solomon, who is coming off elbow surgery at Kennesaw State. He’s now at Georgia Gwinnett. His fastball was a 90 to 94 mph blur with the Locos in 2013, when he went 2-0 with a 1.45 in 31 innings.
“He’s (Solomon) one of those guys, if he’s healthy, he could be one of the best pitchers in the league,” Ehrnsberger said.
Area players include pitchers Anderson, Colin Gossard (Findlay/Bath), Tanner Schimmoeller (Cincinnati/Ottawa-Glandorf) and infielder/pitcher Colin Stolly (Ohio Wesleyan/Lima Central Catholic).
In 82 at-bats, Stolly hit .280 with five doubles and 16 RBI. He had five stolen bases.
The Locos also signed Ohio Northern pitcher/infielder Nick Eltzroth, from Westerville, who went 7-3 with a 3.41 ERA with the Polar Bears. As a corner infielder, he batted .364 with six doubles and five triples. He had 26 RBI.
Eltzroth was on the GLCL winning Licking County Settlers last year when he went 3-2 with a 3.90.
Ehrnsberger helped coach Eltzroth at Ohio Northern.
“He’s one of those guys who is a good baseball player,” Ehrnsberger said. “He pitches and plays the field. He’s a good baseball, good high-character guy.”
One player to watch is shortstop Tyler Beckwith (Richmond), who hit .258 with seven home runs and 28 RBI. He also stole 10 bases and could be plucked up in the Major League Baseball draft on Monday.
Shortstop Trey Logan (Georgia) hit .286. Mississippi State infielder Luke Reynolds hit .304. Infielder Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) batted .299.
First baseman Hunter Williams (Tulane) batted .280 with four home runs and 26 RBI.
High-average hitters include outfielder Mitch Carriger (Maryville), who hit .393, and third baseman Will Kilgore (Georgia State), who hit .348, with 16 stolen bases.
Outfielder Brett Murray (Creighton) batted .293 with 10 doubles and two home runs.
This year’s catchers are Creighton’s Michael Emodi and Evansville’s Billy Lipari.
Among the pitchers, Ohio State reliever Seth Kinker throws 90 mph and had a 2.82 ERA in 22 innings. Logan Barnette went 3-1 with a 1.38 in 26 innings at Georgia State.
With the wood bat, expect a degree of small ball.
“Me, personally, I don’t like the bunt,” Ehrnsberger said. “But if that’s the players you have, that’s the type of game you like. I think we have a good mix on offense. But if there’s a time to bunt, we’ll do it.”
