Season Preview: Little Rock Christian Academy
February 26, 2015
By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director
Head Coach: Matt Lane
High School: Little Rock Christian Academy
Conference: 5 A West
Mascot: Warriors
Team Twitter Handle:@lrcabaseball14
PBR: What are your expectations for your team this spring?
Coach Lane: Our expectations are for us to compete for a spot in the top four of our conference. We will be asking many different players to play their role as we enter the season.
PBR: Who is going to be your key contributors on the mound this spring?
Coach Lane: Dylan Hays is our pitcher with the most varsity innings pitched that we have returning. Dylan finished last year with 7 games pitched, 2 wins and 2 losses, and a 2.90 ERA. After Dylan, we have a mix of guys we will be counting on to compete each time on the mound- Carter Wade-Junior, Will Clark- Junior, Tanner Moore- Senior, Tarrodd Collier- Senior, Joe Hampton- Junior, Adam Smith-Junior, Luke Van Dover-Junior, Carson Banks-Junior.
PBR: For your offense to be effective who do you expect to set the table? Who do you expect to drive in runs?
Coach Lane: For our offense to be successful we will need Tarrod Collier, Luke Van Dover, and Adam Wright to get on base every time they have the chance. We will expect Austin Ply, Dylan Hays, Brock Ferguson and Joe Hampton to drive in runs this year.
PBR: Which Underclassmen do you need to step up and fill a void by last year’s seniors?
Coach Lane: We will look to many juniors for pitching- Carter Wade-Junior, Will Clark- Junior, Adam Smith-Junior, Luke Van Dover-Junior, Carson Banks-Junior. We will also look to juniors Jack Lee, Adam Wright, Colton Fisher, Chase Daril, and Kyle Otis to compete for positions in the field.
PBR: Who is the team to beat in your conference/ your classification?
Coach Lane: I think all teams in the 5A West will be very competitive this year. Harrison, Vilonia, Greenbrier, Maumelle and Farmington all have a chance to be the team to beat.
I think that Jacksonville and White Hall will be at the top of the 5A all year long. Both of these teams have a solid group of seniors and are well coached.
PBR: What is your biggest non-conference game and why?
Coach Lane: Lonoke and Briarcrest (Memphis, TN) will be big non-conference games for us before we begin conference. Then we play Sylvan Hills, Pulaski Academy, Arkansas Baptist and Central Arkansas Christian in the middle of the year. All of these games will be big games for our guys to compete against some of the best teams in the area.
PBR: What tournaments is your team attending this spring?
Coach Lane: We are in the Red Devil Classic in Jacksonville the first weekend of the season and the Xtra Innings tournament in Nettleton during spring break.