By BUTCH HARMON
Thanks to some strong starting pitching, the Bath baseball team is off to a good start this season.
The Bees opened the season with 12 wins in their first 14 games and a 7-0 record in the CMAC.
Bath won a key game against previously undefeated Pewamo-Westphalia in a first-place showdown on April 16. The game was scoreless through 12 innings, before Bath scored in the bottom of the 13th inning to win 1-0.
“We expected to be competitive this season but needed to replace six starters, so I wasn’t sure how the new kids would fill the void,” coach Rob Orr said. “When most people think of our team, they thinking about our pitching.”
Senior all-state honoree Nick Stiles is the ace of the Bath pitching staff. He is off to a 4-0 start with a 0.00 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. Sophomore Ryan Orr is the team’s no. 2 starter and is also 4-0 with a 0.24 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched. Senior Keith Lyon and junior Grant Svendsen round out the rotation with 1.65 and 1.27 ERAs respectively.
Junior catcher Kyle Coryell “does a great job behind the plate calling the game and handling the staff,” said Orr.
The pitchers are also helping their own cause at the plate, as Orr has a .526 on-base average, Svendsen a .558 on-base average, Stiles a .490 on-base percentage, and Lyon a .360 on-base average.
The Bees have a deep lineup with impressive on-base averages: junior first baseman Dan Hayes has a .500 on-base average, Coryell is at .383, senior outfielder Shay Barber is at .435, sophomore outfielder Chris Gubry is at .391, and sophomore outfielder Dylan Moffitt is at .395. Hayes and Stiles lead the team in extra base hits with four each. Orr and Svendsen are a combined 28 for 28 in stolen bases.