The 2022 Cougar Baseball season is just around the corner! With a brand new coaching staff and a new state-of-the-art turf field, excitement is building for this program. We caught up with new baseball head coach Chris Randolph after the new-look Cougars’ first scrimmage against Cy Lakes.
CCABC: “Hey, Coach. First game with the new regime; what did you see out there that you liked?”
Coach Randolph: “I love how we went out on the field and played competitive baseball. It’s good to see the kids going out and doing what you ask them to do, and that’s play smart baseball. These last few weeks they’ve had to only compete against each other, so it was nice to get some time against someone else.”
CCABC: “Any surprises you saw from our players in the first scrimmage?”
Coach Randolph: “Pitching was further along than I thought it would be, especially given the impact of the new field construction on our bullpen. But I thought breaking balls were sharp, and collectively our pitchers were hitting their spots against live batters. I was also very pleased to see that we were throwing lots of strikes throughout the game.”
CCABC: “District 17-6A has some very good teams, and with Jersey Village making a deep playoff run, the battle for playoffs each year will always be a dogfight. How do you approach getting the boys ready both mentally and physically for such a tight district?”
Coach Randolph: “We’re trying to do the best we can through intensity of our daily workouts, and by putting them in position to be successful during scrimmages and other situations. Our tournament schedule is no cake walk either, we have some really, really good teams from the area lined up on the other side which will only help us get ready for district play. Iron sharpens iron! Again, it will be very good for our kids to see this level of competition before the season starts”
CCABC: “Last question, Coach: What message would you want to give to Cougar fans this year?”
Coach Randolph: “This is year is going to be a lot of fun to watch. We’re going to play a competitive and fun brand of baseball and we will be doing a lot of events to do get everyone involved including our junior high kids, teachers, and current and former students. As we continue to play together, we’ll become a really fun team to watch out for in district.”
