The Valley Christian Trojan baseball team is gearing up for another exciting season on the diamond. The school and its fans are eagerly anticipating the start of the action. With four consistent seasons of winning records and playoff appearances, you can expect this team to be one of the favorites to hoist the trophy at the end of the season.
The Trojan baseball team has been a dominant force for years. Since 2014, Valley baseball has had only had one losing season. Within the past four seasons the Trojans have been on the rise with a record of 48-6 during the regular season. But deep playoff runs have fallen short, and the Trojans have not been able to earn a State Championship title in baseball since the 2010-2011 season. The Trojans look to add their name to the trophy this year and they have a great shot at achieving that goal.
In the 2021-2022 season the Trojans had great talent in every area of the field, and this year we have two senior pitchers returning for a final run. Senior Hunter Heeringa and Senior Ryan Kao were the Trojans' main pitchers in the 2021-2022 season with a combined batting average against of .205.
Opposing pitchers should be fearful to step on the mound against the Trojans. Sophomore Caleb Danzeisen and Senior Hunter Heeringa lead the team in batting averages, Danzeisen with an average of 0.419 and 7 home runs, and Heeringa with an average of 0.429.
Be on the lookout this season for the Trojans' base running, Sophomore Caleb Danzeisen stole 12 bases last year and Junior Gavin Smith stole 9.
The Trojans are under the leadership of returning Head Coach Damon Gilliland, who has been with the program since 2018 and has helped maintain a winning culture. Coach Gilliland commented on what will help his players over the hump this year, he said he expects these things out of them. "Stay Disciplined, Motivated, and Focused. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to be everything by yourself. This is a team game. We must pick each other up constantly." Coach Gilliland says he reminds his team every day to "Work Hard, Stay Humble, Honor God = Great Rewards."
The Trojans started their season on Thursday, February 23rd against River Valley and will end their regular season on April 24th against Coolidge. With much anticipation for the season, this year's baseball team expects to win a state championship once and for all.
