Tigers on the Prowl for Double Header Victories at Home

The Hurricane Tigers boys baseball team looks to better there already impressive pre-season record March 23 at home. The Tigers will play host in double-header baseball action as they play Parawon High School and Moapa High School at 4 and 7 p.m.
The Tigers got off to a quick start at the beginning of the season as they went 3-0 against Kanab,Beaver and Enterprise. The Tigers have shown that pitching is their strength and they're not afraid to swing the bat. They have continued their good play as they prepare themselves for baseball action in Region 9.
“One thing that has helped us early in the season,and will hopefully help us throughout the season,is our focus on working with our pitchers,”Pearson said. “We've invested some money in indoor pitching mounds and we've really seen an improvement.”
The Tigers have seen multiple starters thus far in the season pitch more than 100 pitches in a single game. The extra effort they've put forth has increased the stamina and efficiency of their pitching staff,Pearson said.
“Keeping pitchers in the game for so long really helps us out,”Pearson said. “In our first few games we were concerned about running out of pitchers. Now,we are pleased to know that we have pitchers left over.”
The Tigers players and coaches are aware that the spring baseball season moves fast. The Tigers look to establish themselves early as a team to beat among their Region 9 foes.
“We need to make sure and get down to business during the pre-season,”Pearson said. “Getting some wins early in the season gives us good confidence. We want to be going into region with some momentum. The season goes fast and we don't want to start slow.”
The Tigers are coached by Steve Pearson,a history teacher at Hurricane High. He is assisted by Mark Christensen and Chad Humphries. All three Hurricane coaches bring knowledge and experience to a Tigers’team that hardly lacks experience in Region 9 baseball.
Seven of the Tigers starting nine players are returning players from last season. Many of the players on the Tigers team have played varsity baseball since their sophomore years. A few Hurricane athletes saw varsity time as freshman,Pearson said.
“With a group of kids who have played together for quite a while we should be able to compete,”Pearson said. “These kids are very mature and very experienced. We're a lot deeper this year than we've been in past years.”
Region 9 is,as always,extremely tough,Pearson said. The makeup of the region is different as compared to other regions in the state wherein there are usually games that are easy to win. Teams from around Region 9 have shown they are ready to play. Physical preparation and mental preparation are both equally important to all teams,Pearson said.
“There are no throwaway games within Region 9,”Pearson said. “You really have to play good baseball if you want to get good wins. We hope to play well enough to get into the playoffs in a good position. The region is full of good competition and it going to be a lot of fun.”
The Dixie High School Flyers,as returning state champions,are tough once again,Pearson continued. Pine View and Snow Canyon are strong teams and the Cedar teams can't be left out. Good teams and good coaches have established Southern Utah teams as being fiercely competitive.
Like many prep sports in the Hurricane Valley,baseball is strongly supported by citizens within the community.
“We are really backed well in baseball by the parents and families of the players,”Pearson said. “Baseball is different than basketball or football when it comes to the pace of the game. We certainly don't have thousands of fans coming to our games,but baseball is fun to watch.”
The Tigers will match strengths with Parawon High School and Moapa High School March 23 at Hurricane High at the Judd Memorial Park. Tigers’double-header baseball action is a good event for fans to come enjoy,Pearson said. It's no big rivalry but it's a good chance to sit down and have fun watching good baseball.

Bookmark & Share

HVJ Login