Regional title means new goals for baseball team
News editor
Before the season, Marion baseball coach Roger Schroeder’s goal for the Warriors was to make it to the state tournament in Manhattan.
Now that the team has advanced to state, the goal is to advance in the tournament.
“This isn’t one of those, ‘Oh, we made it, we’re happy to be here,’ things,” he told players in their first practice after winning the regional championship.
The team has the pitching depth and hitting ability that gives it a chance to make a run in state, but so do all of the other regional champions.
“Every team in that thing is there for a reason,” Schroeder said.
The Warriors hit three home runs this season, but had 34 doubles and 15 triples.
Getting out of the batter’s box quickly helped the team turn some hits that could have been singles into extra-base hits.
The team spent a lot of its time between regionals and state on live drills to prepare the team to make good decisions in the games ahead.
The Warriors travel Thursday to Kansas State University’s Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan for the first round of the state tournament.
They are the sixth seed and will play third seed Silver Lake at 6:30 p.m.
If they advance, the Warriors will play at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Tointon Family Stadium is located at 1800 College Ave. in Manhattan. Its capacity is 2,331.
Schroeder said it should be a good experience for the players to play on a major college ballfield.