HDC baseball look for better outcomes in next season

Hampton-Dumont-CAL baseball this year was a team that met frustration in a 10-22 record. “We were close and never took that last step to be really good,” coach Matt Lokenvitz said. The team lost 10 games this season where they had a lead or were tied in the fifth inning or later.

Lokenvitz said that despite being a young team, the Bulldogs should have won at least a few of those games.

The Dogs were solid on offense, using their speed to steal a combined 105 bases this season. Senior Mario De La Cruz led the team with 36 hits and 26 RBIs.

De La Cruz averaged .367.

He stole 14 bases.

Lokenvitz said De La Cruz showed what a true leader is by taking a utility role this season to help the team where it needed.

Senior Riley Heeren was one of the pitchers for HDC this year Often, Heeren threw into the sixth and seventh inning each game.

He threw a no hitter this season and was 3-1 in conference games

. Kale Folkerts served as a motivational player all season and Benji Sauke, who was unable to play this year, was at every game this season to support the team.

Outside of the senior class, Marco Guerrero, Kyle Helmke were players that received conference honors along with De La Cruz.

Payton McNealy received second-team all-district honors at first base. Guerrero

HDC returns eight starters, with five pitchers to look to on defense.

The expectations will be to improve and to try and double their win total next season.

Lokenvitz said that his players are great to be around, but he and the coaches challenged them at the end of this season

“How will they learn from this season?” he said. “don’t show up a year older, show up a year better.”