The 2010 Tonasket baseball team. In the front row, from left to right, are: Kris Marthini, Dylan Fewkes, Trent Turner, Ian Young, Jocob Hollingshead and Kaleb Steinshouer. In the back row, from left to right, are: Head Coach Stephen Williams, Corbin Moser

TONASKET – After many of the team graduated at the end of last season, the Tonasket baseball team is having a rebuilding year this season.

Head Coach Stephen Williams is in his third year as coach and will again be assisted by Shane Spangler.

“I expect the best out of my players so I can be intense at times but I also understand that different people learn in different ways so I try to be flexible to the individual learning style,” Williams said.

With only 15 players turning out this year, Williams said the team is smaller than it has been in previous years and has a mix of experience that includes everyone from fourth year players to first timers.

The team only has two returning seniors, Wade DeTillian and Mo Brown, but Williams said juniors Ty Thornton and Corbin Moser, along with DeTillian, made drastic improvements last year in hitting and defense that helped the team. He added that he is looking for sophomore Dylan Fewkes to be a force for the team on the mound this year and that there are some freshmen who are showing great potential as well.

“With so many seniors graduating last year, this is a bit of a rebuilding year but I think we will be competitive,” Williams said. “Our strong point this year is that our hitting as a team is going to improve but we may struggle a bit with our pitching.”

To improve over last year’s season, when the team won six games, Williams said he is not planning to make any big changes but is just expecting the guys to go out, work hard every day and improve as a team.

“I felt that all of last season was a highlight for us as we were competitive from start to finish,” Williams said. “We played everyone tough and it was a team effort. I am looking forward to seeing the team continue to jell together this year as well.”