NICK MAYLE ‘Mound Workhorse’

GRAFTON -- Coach Steve Smith and his 19-man roster will try to open their 2010 baseball season here on the Grafton High School Diamond today at 4:30 p.m. against the visiting Braxton County Eagles.

After turning in an 11-6 record last spring, including a regional loss to the Berkeley Springs Indians, the Bearcats will have no less than 12 players on this year’s team with some high school baseball experience under their belts.

“We feel pretty good about this team’s chances,” Coach Smith says. “We have a group of sophomores that started for us last season, as well as a few upper-classmen that have played in the past, and I think we can become very competitive this year.

“Of course it all starts with pitching, and with lefty Nick Mayle stepping up to become the workhorse on this year’s staff, along with right-hander B. J. Markley, who returned to the squad this spring after being injured last year, and a nice group of sophomores, we should be able to throw some strikes.”

Mayle, a senior, was 4-1 with two saves last year, and he owns a career record of 6-2 with four saves. Plus, sophomores Eli Peters (2-0), Zach Gower (0-0) and Jason Wagner (0-1) gained some valuable experience on the mound during the 2009 season.

Three catchers are found on Grafton’s roster. They are junior -- and part-time starter a year ago -- Seth Blair, sophomore Jess Twyman and freshman Tyler Poston.

In the infield, senior J. C. Musgrove at first base, the duo of junior Eli Poston and sophomore Eli Peters at third base, and sophomore Jason Wagner at shortstop are returning veterans. Plus, B. J. Markley is also expected to see action in the infield, with freshmen Thomas Peters and Abraham Blair also listed as infielders on the roster.

Cody Howdyshell and Nick Mayle saw some playing time in the outfield a year ago, and Coach Smith says that he likes the way a couple of newcomers -- Drew Musgrove, a sophomore, and Zak Adamczyk, a junior, -- have been working out in practice.

Senior John McDonald, junior Brandon Rohrbacher, junior Chris Hardy and freshman Drew Waters round out the list of outfielders on the roster.

“This team might be a year away from reaching its fullest potential,” Smith said. “We have some experienced players, but we are still going to be a real young baseball team.

“Even with the loss of Cameron Gallaher and Drew Waters to graduation, and Steve Hunt to track, I think that we have the potential to be as solid, defensively, as we were a year ago,” Smith said. “However, along with our pitching and defense, we must be able to hit the baseball...And that might be the area that will determine just how successful we can be.”

J. C. Musgrove (18-of-53 for a .342 average, with four home runs and 23 RBI), and Jason Wagner (9-of-27 for a .333 average) are the top returning hitters from last year’s team, while B. J. Markley (29-of-72 for a .403 average, with three home runs and 29 RBI) was highly successful at the plate two years ago as a freshman in Coach Smith’s starting line-up.

Here is the 2010 Grafton High School Baseball Schedule:

March 19 -- Braxton County, 4:30 p.m.

March 23 -- Clay-Battelle, 4:30 p.m.

March 24 -- at Elkins, 6 p.m.

March 25 -- Preston, 4:30 p.m.

March 26 -- at Buckhannon-Upshur, 5 p.m.

March 30 -- at Lincoln, 4:30 p.m.

March 31 -- at Lewis County, 7 p.m.

April 1 -- at Petersburg, 4:30 p.m.

April 5 -- at Notre Dame, 5 p.m.

April 7 -- at Liberty, 4:30 p.m.

April 9 -- Buckhannon-Upshur, 4:30 p.m.

April 13 -- Lewis County, 4:30 p.m.

April 15 -- Robert C. Byrd, 4:30 p.m.

April 16 -- Philip Barbour, 4:30 p.m.

April 19 -- at Robert C. Byrd, 7 p.m.

April 20 -- at Braxton County, 5 p.m.

April 21 -- at Preston County, 4:30 p.m.

April 22 -- Notre Dame, 4:30 p.m.

April 23 -- Petersburg, 4:30 p.m.

April 26 -- Liberty, 4:30 p.m.

April 27 -- Trinity Christian, 4:30 p.m.

April 28 -- Lincoln, 4:30 p.m.

April 30 -- at Philip Barbour, 4:30 p.m.

May 3 -- at Bridgeport (doubleheader), 4:30 p.m.

May 5 -- at Clay-Battelle, 5 p.m.

May 10-22 -- Sectional Play-offs.

May 24-29 -- Regional Play-Offs.

June 3-5 -- State Tournament.