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Federal Hocking Prepares For Wheelersburg
By: Brad Hawley
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With another Sectional Championship under their belts, the Federal Hocking Lancer baseball team sets its sights on the top-seeded Wheelersburg Pirates.
Not an easy foe.
The Pirates rank seventh in the state by the Coaches Poll and boast a 22-2 season record.
Federal Hocking Head Coach Rocky Brunty sees this as a pack back game for his squad.
“We owe them one from the regional finals a couple of years ago. We’re going in there and expect to play well,” Brunty said.
If Brunty’s club expects to hang with the top-seeded team in the District, his players will have to hit their stride in the batters box.
Federal Hocking has scored only 13 runs combined in their previous four games.
The Pirates are averaging a whopping eight runs a game this season.
“We need to be more aggressive at the plate,” Brunty explains about his team’s hitting habits. “We take a lot of pitches and it puts us in a hole.”
Senior Pitcher Wesley Dixon knows that hitting will be priority number one.
“We should definitely work on our sticks this week. That is our downfall right now," Dixon said. "It is hard for us to get into a groove. We just got to calm down.”
In the Sectional Championship win 3-0 against Nelsonville-York, Dixon went 1-2 with two runs scored.
However, Dixon’s performance at the plate is not what turned heads.
What impressed the fans is what he did on the mound.
In a complete game shutout, he gave up only three hits while striking out eight Buckeyes.
Against the potent line-up of the Pirates, Dixon embraces his role as the man for the job.
“This is all I’ve wanted to do since my Freshman year,” Starting Pitcher Dixon said. “Being able to do this as a Senior and being a leader it feels really good.”
First pitch of the District Semifinal will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 19 in Paint Stadium.