ROYAL CITY — With the football team claiming its third consecutive 1A state title and the basketball team fresh off a fourth place finish at the just concluded state tournament, its only natural community expectations for the baseball team to be off the charts this season as a bulk of athletes on both teams make up the nucleus of players taking to the diamond this spring.

Coach Brandon Jenks and his staff are jacked up as well and are hoping to build on the success of last year’s squad that came up one game short of the regional playoffs.

“We are excited for the baseball season to get started,” Jenks said. “Our crop of high school kids has seen great success this year and that says a lot about the group of kids we are working with right now. These guys are competitive, driven and great young men.”

The Knights field an experienced and imposing pitching rotation with 6’3” senior Corbin Christensen and 6’5” junior Sawyer Jenks throwing smoke from the mound. Christensen will also anchor a talented outfield, and Jenks will be an intricate part of the infield as well.

“Our outfield looks like it will be an all Christensen affair as Corbin, our all everything senior, Gage, a talented junior, and Cooper, an up and coming freshman can all run and cover ground,” Jenks said. “Our infield will also be really solid with senior Logan Gilbert starting along with Carter Dorsing (sophomore), Kevin Reyes (Freshman) and JC Worsham (sophomore) at first base. Tyler Allred (sophomore) will be a huge for us behind the plate. He is a great athlete with huge upside. Sawyer is going to be really good this year in the infield as well. All of these guys can swing the bat well too.”

Jenks added Worsham could have a breakout and be one of the best hitters in the league.

The Knights open their season with a nonleague doubleheader at Goldendale Saturday. “It is taxing to play after having only five practices with our full squad,” Jenks said. “But, we are happy to miss a few practices to watch the success they guys had on the basketball court.”  

As far as league competition goes, Jenks said Connell and Ki-Be will present the stiffest challenge, but are not impossible to beat.

“Our league will be tough and our boys our young, but we will compete like crazy in all our games and work hard to become a baseball powerhouse.”