PRINCETON — If fourth-year Princeton baseball coach Tim Taylor is asked about the strength for this season’s Tigers, he will answer without hesitation.
“Every year we have upped the ante from our practice discipline and our game discipline,” Taylor said. “These guys have shown that to be the case in their practices. They’re working hard and they’re here a half an hour early for practices getting in extra at-bats.”
The next stage of preparation of the season has come from a senior nucleus of center fielder Isaiah Taylor, third baseman Caleb Dickens, catcher Logan Wilde, second baseman J.J. Vaccaro, and right fielder and third baseman Tyler Marvin.
Marvin is a two-year varsity player, while the others are four-year varsity players and three-year starters.
The Tigers want their senior leadership to blend with the four juniors and three sophomores to better last season’s 12-10 record.
Although the weather hasn’t given superb baseball elements, PHS has played three games resulting in a 2-1 record as it beat Fulton 3-2 and split with Marquette in an 11-6 win and a 5-4 loss.
“I think we have enough seniors to lead the sophomores,” Dickens said. “It’s like we’re in that equilibrium where we got our leaders and then we got our young guns. I think just as long as we play together as a team we’ll have a successful season.”
Taylor looks for the younger players to make an impact in all aspects of baseball.
Sophomores Jett Wedekind will play first base, Jake Reinhardt is the second half of the shortstop committee with Marvin and Zach Friel will be in left field.
Those three and junior Levi Bates will also join the large list of guys Taylor will put on the mound this season as he predicts the Tigers will have a full rotation.
Dickens and Taylor were go-to pitchers last spring along with Matt Hayes — one of four players the Tigers lost to graduation — and will be looked upon to do the same.
Marvin also saw time on the mound in his junior campaign and will have an advanced role this season.
“It’s always an advantage, especially once you get going in the season, regionals and sectionals,” Dickens said of the pitching. “I just feel that we have five or six solid pitchers that have good experience. I think we’ll benefit with how many pitchers we have.”
Wilde agreed that PHS could come at opponents with an array of different arms and added the Tigers could win any ballgame.
“It doesn’t matter who is throwing, as long as I’m behind the dish I’m a happy guy,” Wilde said.
With the way Tim Taylor says his team is preparing and showing baseball maturity — along with the cooking-like ingredient mix of older and younger players — the team is on board to do whatever they have to do to win.
Brandon LaChance can be reached at 220-6995, or sports@newstribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @NT_LaChance.