Comets baseball restructuring for future

By Lethbridge Herald on May 16, 2023.

Herald photo by JUSTIN SEWARD Raymond Comets Keston Leavitt holds on to make the catch and completes the double play as Magrath’s Luka Jaruo tries to slide back to the bag during high school baseball action at Spitz Stadium on Tuesday night. Magrath won 10-3.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

While the  Raymond Comets baseball team have been winless to this point in the local high school league season, the bigger victory has come from  restructuring the program for the future after a three-year hiatus from competition.

“They’re a good bunch of kids,” said Comets head coach Mike Holt.

“The opportunity just hasn’t been there and we’re trying to get it back so that the next two or three years, they can get some strength back and get them back to where they were.”

There were not a lot of expectations with this young Comets groups this year.

“They knew that,” said Holt.

“We hoped we’d win one or two games you know at least, and we’ve been close in half the games we’ve played, real close. So, you know, we’ve lost a couple my just a run or two and we’ve lost some by a lot. But that’s the way it goes when you’re trying to get a program back together. You just don’t start at the top again, you have to build it, and that what we’re trying to do.”

He thinks what they’re learning from the competition is the players have to be baseball ready.

“They’re not baseball ready,” said Holt.

“They’re athletes, obviously. They can play basketball, they can play football (and)  they’ve cut lots of championships there. But they’re athletes, they just aren’t baseball ready, they just don’t have that baseball acumen. Therefore, they’re learning it and for the kids that are graduating, it’s over. But for the younger kids, hopefully they’ll build on that. That’s what we’re hoping.”

Since the first game of the season weeks ago, the coaching staff have seen improvements in the players’ aggressiveness at the plate.

“They were tentative at first,” he said.

“Now they’re competitive and aggressive, and that’s good. And you know, you have to go up there looking to hit the ball.  And they’re getting a little bit better defensively. That’s where the struggles are is knowing where to be, fielding, being in the right position (and) making the right play. You know that’s where it’s difficult because they’ve been off for three or four years. They haven’t been doing it. Yeah, but they’re learning (and) they’re getting it together.”

Comets baseball was on hiatus due to COVID and the stability to overcome those challenges like the bigger programs.

Spring basketball has pulled players away as well.

“That has detracted a great deal,” he said.

“We have half-a-dozen kids who should be here that are not here.”