NTL BASEBALL: CANTON LOOKS TO KEEP STRONG PLAY GOING IN 2022 (2022-03-25)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Canton baseball returns eyeing a repeat of last season - maybe even going a step further - but they know they have a lot of work to do to replicate last year’s 18-win group.

“We lost some important kids last year, you know,” said coach Bob Rockwell. “We’ve got to fill those spots. It’s trial and error, and finding out and trying kids, and see whose going to get it done; and, you know, who give us the best chance to have success.”

The list is long of contributors to last year’s success who are now gone - Joel Schoonover, Carter Route, Brendan Matthews, and, of course, their catcher Cam Bellows, amongst others.

“That’s the tough one, right there, we’ve got to find a catcher,” Rockwell said about Cam Bellows. “And the kid that I think is going to help us there is hurt right now. He’s out for a couple weeks.”

However, they had a deep squad a year ago, so they have plenty of talent returning - they might just be playing different positions.

“We’re hoping Hayden (Ward) comes back and can help us catching,” Rockwell remarked. “Weston Bellows is going to go into shortstop, which will move Hudson Ward out to center field - he’s a good centerfielder. We’ve got a couple new kids, young kids, that we’re hoping can come through, and a couple kids that have been with us, like Leo Karpinski, he’s a senior, finally, and let’s hope he gets a chance and does well.”

Hudson Ward led the team at the plate a year ago, hitting .395 with 25-RBI and 25 stolen bases, while Weston hit .387 with seven doubles, a triple, and a home run, to go with 23-RBI.

Cooper Kitchen returns, and he hit .365 a year ago, while Hayden Ward boasted a .323 average, so this has the makings of talented offensive group.

While last year’s team didn’t have a lot of pop - Weston had the lone home run - they were the most prolific base stealing team in Canton school history.

“We’ve always been a pretty fast and scrappy team,” said Kitchen. “That’s part of how we score runs a lot, so I think that’ll be a big part of our game this year, too, is get runners on base, and moving on from first to second without having to hit long home runs.”

Pitching is another matter. They were a bullpen team if there ever was one a year ago, with Route and Schoonover getting the majority of big game innings, but they did use a lot of arms, which helps set things up this year.

“We lost a few guys, but I think we got a lot that can fill in that really didn’t get a chance last year,” Kitchen said. “Hudson and Holden Ward will step up big, I think, this year, along with Hayden, whose not with us yet due to his long wrestling season, and myself and Weston, will be able to step in. We’ve been there last year, and I just think getting these young guys in we’ll be alright.”

A lot of pitchers means moving a lot of guys around to fill in the gaps, so the players know they’ll likely be playing different spots as the game goes on, making their versatility key.

“I think it’s very important because if we bring somebody in from the infield, we need somebody for that spot,” said Gavin Morse. “And if we don’t have somebody for a spot, it’s going to show around the other teams.”

Rockwell elaborated further on how important versatility is this year’s team.

“There’s a group of four catchers,” he explained. “Some of those guys are going to be infielders and pitchers, and play the outfield.”

Canton sports have had a lot of success this year, beginning with football, followed by basketball and wrestling. That has meant sports seasons have bled together as other teams go deep in the playoffs. Football making it to the state final four impacted the hoops and wrestling season as they had a tough gauntlet to start things off.

Baseball has a top heavy schedule, too, with them facing Wellsboro, Wyalusing, and Athens all before the calendar turns to April, meaning they have to be on top of their game right away.

“In our basketball season that’s what our problem was, and that’s why we lost the NTL this year,” said Morse. “So being strong at the beginning is really important for us.”

They were able to negotiate a similar start last year - beating Athens 4-2 in the opener, then holding on to close wins over CV (8-6) and Wellsboro (7-6) - but finding that type of magic again might be tough.

“It’s always a goal to win the title, but, realistically, I just want to be the best that we can be, and get the most out of them that I can get out of them,” said Rockwell. “The league is tough. I mean, the league is as competitive as it’s ever been. There’s so many good teams, and we start five of our first six games against really tough competition, really tough. We’re starting right out in the fire.”

Regardless, the players are undeterred.

“I think with what Mr. Rockwell and Mr. Perry have going on here, I think we have kind of a winning reputation,” Kitchen remarked. “We hope to keep that going.”

ROSTER

Michael Beers

Weston Bellows

Zack Colton

Daniel Dodge

Bailey Ferguson

Mason Harold

Paul Inman

Leonard Karpinski

Cooper Kitchen

Cohen Landis

Jason Mahosky

Gavin Morse

Brenen Taylor

Hayden Ward

Holden Ward

Hudson Ward

SCHEDULE

March 25 at Wellsboro, 4:30 p.m.

March 29 vs Wyalusing, 4:30 p.m.

March 31 at Athens, 4:30 p.m.

April 4 at Sayre, 4:30 p.m.

April 6 at CV, 4:30 p.m.

April 8 vs NEB, 4:30 p.m.

April 11 at Muncy, 4:30 p.m.

April 13 at Millville, TBA

April 14 vs Williamson, 4:30 p.m.

April 16 vs Sullivan County, 1 p.m.

April 19 vs Towanda, 4:30 p.m.

April 21 vs NP-Mansfield, 4:30 p.m.

April 25 at Troy, 4:30 p.m.

April 27 vs Sayre, 4:30 p.m.

April 29 vs CV, 4:30 p.m.

May 3 at NEB, 4:30 p.m.

May 4 vs South Williamsport, 4:30 p.m.

May 7 vs Troy, 10 a.m.

May 9 at Williamson, 4:30 p.m.

May 11 at Towanda, 4:30 p.m.