PARIS- No one can say that the Paris baseball program shies away from tough competition.
The Eagles played three non-conference games in the first week of the season against higher classification schools in the River Valley, and two of those were away from home. In the first week, Paris hosted Ozark, and then immediately went on the road to play at Van Buren and Clarksville.
The Eagles had their feathers ruffled in that first week, losing their home and season opener to Ozark by the score of 14-0, and 24 hours later, losing at Van Buren by the score of 11-2. Paris then traveled to Clarksville on Thursday and dropped a 12-5 decision on a cold and rainy day to the Panthers.
Conference play will open on March 11 when Paris hosts the Subiaco Academy Trojans. Subiaco, along with Booneville, Charleston, and Paris should compete for the top seeds at the end of the conference regular season. In addition to these four schools, the Danville Little Johns cannot be counted out, either in the regular season race or in the postseason district tournament.
Paris’s struggles at the plate last season have carried over to this season. Paris has had base runners so far this season but has struggled to get the timely hits with runners aboard to score runs. Last Thursday, the Paris bats showed signs of coming alive in their loss to Clarksville. The Eagles hope that trend will continue to improve as they move forward to opening conference play on March 11.
The Eagles possess good pitching, although it is still very early in the season and coach Josh Hart’s pitching rotation is still getting into mid-season form. The defense will rely on pitching early as concerns in the outfield are addressed.
Watch for each week’s Paris baseball and softball schedules that are listed in the RNN Logan / Franklin County newspaper. Go out and support both teams and enjoy the great spring weather!
