Young Ganado hopes to build tough team

Brandon Newcomb inherited a team that hasn't seen a state tournament in a long while.

In fact, the last time Ganado brought home a state baseball title was over 20 years ago. And as far as anyone can remember, the team hasn't been taken seriously since the early 1990s.

Newcomb is aware of this and though his goal is common to every other team when it comes to getting into the state playoffs, he's decided that his inaugural year is more about building a foundation for what he hopes will soon be a competitive baseball program.

"We want to be competitive on a daily basis," said Newcomb, who coached football at Alchesay before taking on the football and baseball coaching positions at Ganado, "and set a foundation for a lasting program - a strong foundation for years to come."

Of course, Newcomb must work with his current team and, first things first, toughening up the boys.

"I hope we can become a scrappy, tough team," Newcomb said, "to where we can compete and play extremely hard for seven innings every afternoon. That's how we've been practicing and hopefully we play that way as well."

Coming from a different region, however, Newcomb has much to learn about opponents they will soon face.

"We want to be playoff team - that's everyone's goal," he said. "But it's hard being an outsider and not knowing what our opponents have and where we stand with them."

Last year, Ganado finished with an overall record of 15-12 and returns five players from last year.

"We're young," he said. "But I want the kids to create a sense of toughness - getting in front of a ground ball, taking one off the chest, or diving for a ball."

Those returning include junior catcher Jordon Hardy, junior pitcher Elliot Burns, junior second baseman Donald Noble, senior third baseman Benton Begay and senior left fielder Namith Tullie.

"They bring leadership and accountability," Newcomb said of his returnees. "I can count on them being there and giving a great effort on a daily basis. They're the foundation of the team because they've had previous experience and we're leaning on them for direction.

"I hope they continue to provide that leadership and model the way everyone else should be playing," he added.

In addition to the upperclassmen's leadership, Newcomb has high hopes for freshman and starting shortstop Liam Marez.

"He is a strong freshman," Newcomb said. "I can see him eventually becoming one of the top baseball players on the reservation. He'll be a good star down the road if he stays on task and does what he's supposed to do on the field and in the classroom."

The Hornets are currently 1-1, with a win against Many Farms, 17-6, and a loss to Tuba City, 26-5.

"I was really pleased with our pitching by Elliot Burns," Newcomb said of the Many Farms game. "He only walked one kid in five innings and I felt we were aggressive on the base path."

The Tuba City game last Friday, however, was a complete opposite.

"They did all facets of the game better than us - pitching, hitting," he said of the Warriors. "They set a standard of where we need to be and where we need to improve. That was an eye-opener for us."

The Hornets will travel to Piñon today. Game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

"We have a good camaraderie of kids," Newcomb added. "We play well together as a team and there are no superstars. Our inexperience might hurt us a little bit, but we're one year away from being a good team."

Back to top ^