>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Dugouts are full of optimism, shouting words of encouragement, spurring on teammates in the batter’s box.

This is when one pitch can turn an inning. One inning can turn a game. One game can turn a season.

Baseball. It’s here.

And the 2A Special District 7 campaign is about to get underway.

ELGIN

Bull’s-eye.

It’s on this defending co-league championship squad, and it’s seven seniors who need to prevent opponents’ target practice from turning deadly.

“That’s going to be what paves the way this year — seniors,” Elgin coach Greg Luse said.

“We have a lot better team this year than we had last year. All around.”

The strength of these Huskies — on the mound (pitcher), in the field (shortstop), behind the plate (catcher), at the plate — is three-time all-league senior Travis Ludwig.

As a pitcher, he obtains a knuckleball, curveball, slider and 90 mph-plus fastball. He leads an all right-handed rotation, featuring Dalton Moore, Dillan Moore and G.D. Clark.

That’s on the mound.

At the plate, thus far, Ludwig is batting near .875 (two home runs), leading Elgin to a perfect 3-0 start.

He and Clark — who has two homers already, as well — both earned second-team All-State honors in ’07.

So, with only two seniors departed, and two freshmen — Tanner Hallgarth and Jared Harris — filling in admirably, is Luse expecting big things in ’08?

“Oh yeah,” he said. “It’s going to be a great year.”

IMBLER

Two seniors departed. Six return. And the rest is a group of young kids with little experience.

The starting rotation consists of four right handers —Nick Thompson, Gary Cornford, Sean Peterson, Jake Noyes — and left hander Joe Coughlan.

Thompson is considered the ace — a competitive person with a lot of control on his fastball and curveball.

Next is Coughlan — a strong kid with a solid curve ball and hard fastball.

Then there’s the lineup.

The top six are strong, with Thompson leading off, Coughlan batting second, Noyes third, then Taylor McIntosh in the cleanup spot — whom teams try to pitch around.

Peterson will bat fifth, followed by on-base, slap-hitting specialist Kyle Crader.

These patient-at-the-plate Panthers will look to keep it simple: Place the aluminum bat on that incoming stitched sphere, put it in play, see what happens.

“That’s our main goal,” Imbler coach Monty McIntosh said, “to get the bat on the ball.”

JOSEPH

Five starters from ’07 graduated, leaving coach Tony Gross with a younger team nestling into roles.

 Five solid starters make up the Eagles’ rotation, beginning with Corby Makin and Gavin Baynes.

Makin features an old-fashioned curve ball — a round-house, over-the-top pitch. His change-up is good. His fastball is improving.

Baynes features a two-seam fastball with lots of movement, solid change-up, and “splurve” — a slider-curve combo that moves more laterally, but still obtains good drop.

Rounding out the staff is freshman J.R. Masters, left-hander Tylor Edison, Trenton Neil — who has yet to see the mound, as he heals from a bone spur — as well as middle reliever K.C. Kunkle and closer Kyle Stewart.

In the field, multiple kids will play shortstop (Stewart, Masters, Makin, Neil). Multiple kids will catch (Caleb Deboie, Kunkle, freshman Trenton Martin). And multiple kids will play centerfield (Kunkle, Baynes).

A new approach is in.

Adjustments are, too.

 “Anytime you change an approach,” Gross said, “it takes a little while for them to adjust to it and get comfortable.

“The big thing is getting them all to know each other’s capabilities.”

UNION

Bobcats coach Greg Poor obtains good upper-classmen leadership, and a team with high expectations, willing to work hard.

That’s because these Bobcats were co-league champions in ’07, and are off to another solid start (6-2) in ’08.

The right-handed staff features Austin Woodward, Kaden Titus, Brian Savely — who closes, too — Ritter Warren, Cody Billman and Kyle Langford.

Three seniors have departed — two outfielders and a second baseman — but Poor has a good grasp on filling those holes.

 Jaden Herron, Woodward and Langford will play second base. And in the outfield, Savely (centerfield) and Calvin Stout (leftfield), Poor said, “have done a good job filling those shoes.”

WALLOWA

The Cougars’ head coach was unable to be reached. This preview will run at a later date.