As the collegiate-level Batavia Muckdogs enter their second season in the Perfect Game League, head coach Joey Martinez likes what he sees of his team.
"The roster was looking pretty good," Martinez told The Batavian on Thursday evening during a Chamber of Commerce event at Batavia Downs. " I definitely believe it's probably a lot more talented roster than last year. And we had a pretty good roster last year but this year is all I can say is we're super excited about our pitching staff."
Coming off a season in which the freshman PGCBL came up just short of a post-season birth, returning manager Martinez said he's excited about the squad he will field this year.
"In the first week these guys are buying in and our hitters are gonna come through," Martinez said. "It's gonna be hard to write a lineup every day. That's how much talent we got. We're excited about it, but Batavia should be excited about this roster."
There are key players returning from last season, most notably local prospects Tyler Prospero and Jerry Reinhardt, and their leadership will help the team, Martinez said.
"We have depth," he said. "We have leadership. We have these guys that have returners and I think in any organization it is crucial to have returners with leadership ability. So we have guys like Tyler Prospero and Jerry Reinhardt. These guys that are returning, they're upperclassmen. These guys are seasoned collegiate players. They've played here. They know what this is about here. This is their hometown. They know what culture we have. So having those guys around with depth, pitching, and leadership, I mean, it's a pretty, pretty good recipe we have going on right now."
The Muckdog's home opener is 7 p.m. Saturday at Dwyer Stadium. For the full season schedule, click here.
Photo: Assistant Coach Thomas Easton and Head Coach Joey Martinez.
Photo by Howard Owens.
