Chase Foster’s seventh season as head coach of the Amanda Elzy baseball team feels a lot like his first.
“This is probably the cleanest year starting off since my first year here,” said Foster, whose roster is heavy on underclassmen. “This is the first year where it’s actually felt like the first year.”
The Panthers are set to open their season Friday afternoon at Charleston, weather permitting. On Monday, they’ll return home to face crosstown rival Greenwood High.
Elzy will likely lean on a few returners until its younger guys can develop more. The Panthers have two returning seniors, second baseman Terry Randle Jr. and infielder EJ Ware, to go along with returning junior pitcher Andrew Moore. Foster said that freshman Jaquavius Hayes, an emerging running back and linebacker on the football team, has potential to be Elzy’s ace on the mound.
“It’s going to be a learning experience on the mound outside of two or three guys,” Foster said. “I’m going to be throwing people just to see who I can depend on later in the year and in years to come.
“We’re probably going to take our lumps in the beginning,” Foster added, “but I think we’re going to settle in before playoff time and get in playoff mode.”
- Contact Riley Overend at 662-581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
