The last two seasons have not been easy for Shawnee High School baseball.
The Renegades suffered through back-to-back losing seasons in 2014 and 2015 after making a run to the South Jersey Group IV championship in 2013.
However, with a large and experienced group of seniors set to take the field this year, Shawnee appears ready to climb back toward the top of the competitive Olympic Conference American Division.
Head coach Brian Anderson said he has high expectations for this year’s experienced club.
“The last two years were not typical for us,” Anderson said. “The last two years, the seniors and juniors were brand new. They didn’t have a lot of experience. We went with a younger crew for the last two years knowing we might take our lumps but realizing we’d eventually get there. We’re putting a lot on the next couple of years.”
A handful of Renegades remember the last time Shawnee baseball had a successful season in 2013. That year, the Renegades went 11–8 and advanced to the South Jersey Group IV championship game, where they lost to Eastern.
Senior Jake Miller was on the mound for Shawnee as a freshman during that playoff run and believes this year’s team can have similar success.
“We’ve been down the last two seasons because of all the seniors we lost my freshman year,” Miller said. “But we have a huge senior class, with a lot of talent. Even our sophomores and juniors, we’re going to have a really strong lineup.”
Pitching is one area where Shawnee is especially strong. The Renegades have about eight pitchers Anderson feels have the ability to start. Anderson is especially excited about the arrival of sophomores Sean Heine, Brian Hendry and Dylan Deveney. The trio is expected to bolster the staff.
“We feel like our pitching staff is really legit,” Anderson said. “We’re excited with a few of our guys.”
“We have not committed to anything,” Anderson added about who will be starting and who will be pitching in relief. “A lot of guys see themselves as starters. That’s just not going to be in the cards for everyone in that situation.”
One area where Shawnee plans to improve this year is on offense. The Renegades struggled to score runs at times during the 2015 season. The team does return second-team all-conference outfielder Greg Albert and catcher Michael Welsh. Both players are expected to provide power to the Shawnee lineup.
Competing in the Olympic American with pitching-heavy teams such as Washington Township, Eastern and Cherokee made hitting difficult for the young Renegades. Anderson feels having an experienced varsity lineup will also help fix the team’s hitting woes.
“A lot of our guys have experience hitting,” Anderson said. “We have a few big, strong kids. We just now have to be consistent with it.”
“We’re focusing on putting more runs on the board,” Miller added. “Our pitching has been strong the last couple years. As long as we swing the bats this year, we’ll be fine and have a very successful season.”
Miller said this year’s senior class realizes this is their last chance to have a winning season and go for a conference and sectional championship. He feels the Renegades have the talent and work ethic to be one of 2016’s most improved teams.
“Our record last year didn’t show how much talent we had,” Miller said. “With everyone being a senior now and with some key young players, we have a chance to make a deep playoff run this year.”
