Last season the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Bears failed to make the playoffs which is very unusual for the program. Coach Steve Griffith lost just one senior to graduation from that team.
Only Seth Dronett the Bears’ left fielder is gone. Griffith expects to field pretty much the same team as last year. Michael Lee is in his fourth year on the LC-M varsity and is expected to be the leader. Slade Green will play his third year for the Bears.
Little Cypress-Mauriceville will play the guys that were young last year and were forced onto the field because of the lack of a senior class which makes them better this season. Griffith analyzed, “They have a year under their belt, and now they’re legitimate varsity players ready to roll.”
Griffith has some younger Bears making their presence felt on the diamond during the preseason. Early in the scrimmages a guy that stepped out was freshman Anthony Bandiero who looked very good. Other players coming off the junior varsity to play are Thayne Toomey, Hunter Hooks and Ty Shugart.
The rest of the 2018 LC-M Bears were on the lineup last year. “We feel like we’re in decent shape to make a run at getting in this year,” Griffith believes.
Hitting traditionally has been a strength for LC-M, and Coach Griffith is counting on several players to swing big bats. One of the best players in southeast Texas is Michael Lee according to the coach. Lee will be hitting in the key three-hole for the Bears.
A really strong player is Truman Franklin who swung a large bat last year for LC-M. Coming up from the junior varsity with homerun power is Chris Bilbo. Jordan Alexander will return as the leadoff hitter and should do well. Taylor Gilbert will help the Bears’ cause with some good swings. Coach Griffith predicts, “It’s going to come down to pitching for us.”
Speaking of pitching, Griffith evaluated the Bears’ hurlers. Slade Green is back with two years of varsity experience as a starter and has thrown in playoff games. Franklin is back and has recovered from his shoulder injury that limited him to just a few innings on the mound last year.
There is a whole host of other pitchers Griffith will throw to see who rises to the top and get more innings. He used 12 pitchers in one of the early scrimmages. Freshman Bandiero’s dad played for Griffith years ago. Anthony could work his way into the pitching rotation. Griffith observed, “He did really well the other night, so we hope he can get in the middle of everything and contribute.”
Prognosticators are not picking Little Cypress-Mauriceville to make the playoffs for a second straight season. A high school baseball magazine based on information attained from the coaches in the district picked the Bears to finish fifth in the district.
Coach Griffith is much more optimistic of the Bears making the post season. He thinks his kids are ready to finish in the top four. “We’re not sitting here making claims that we’re going to win a state championship or anything, but I’m fairly certain we’re not the fifth best team in our district right now. We’re moving up on that list, and we don’t think there’s anybody in our district that we can’t compete with,” Griffith stated.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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