Dragons prepare for baseball; games start Saturday

The Holyoke Dragon baseball team is putting in the effort — both on the field and indoors when the snowy weather has prevented outdoor practice — to get ready for the season.

“Our main goal is to have our full roster be game-ready,” coach Jimmy French said. “I want to be at the place where I feel comfortable putting anyone in the field.”

He added that with the varsity team going winless last year, he wants to give the players a chance to know what winning a varsity game feels like and to “be a better team every day than we were the day before.”

French noted that there were several positives from last season. He said players definitely stepped up and became leaders. They’ve come back to play again this year, and he expects them to continue growing.

“A lot of guys are capable of stepping up. They know what’s expected,” French said.

He added that there’s a large group of leaders on the team, which doesn’t have just one captain that holds leadership responsibilities. Instead, French said he expects everyone to step in and fill that role when they have the opportunity.

French expects the team to make routine plays and know where they should be positionally. He said he expects them to look like players who have had a year of experience and show that on the field.

“I want us to look like a baseball team from the very beginning and go out there and compete,” he added.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity and the assistant coaches,” he said. “The kids have had great attitudes, and I’m hopeful that translates to great results on the field.”

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