Wildcats, Dunnam, embracing the fun in baseball
In his first season as head coach, Archer City’s Zac Dunnam is teaching the Wildcats how fun the game of baseball can be. While a deep postseason run that ends in Austin is always the ultimate goal, the Archer City skipper hopes to have a little fun along the way.
“My goal for this season is for us to put something together and make a deep playoff run,” Dunnam said. “We’ve got enough talent and we stack up well with everybody we’re going to be on the field with. A personal goal for me in my first season is simply to have as much fun with it as I can. I’m trying to teach kids that baseball is fun so let’s have as much fun with it while we are having that playoff run.”
Despite a highly competitive district, Dunnam still expects the Wildcats to be in contention at the end of the regular season.
“We expect to win. It’s going to be tough and everybody’s got at least one just ‘shut-em-down’ arm.
We’re just trying to put some things together and battle everybody. It’s good to have a tough district, just like in basketball, you always know it’s going to be tough and there’s not a down night anywhere. We expect to be right there for a district championship at the end.”
Archer City has trotted out a bevy of pitchers through the tournament portion of the schedule but as the team moves into the traditional two-game week, Dunnam envisions seniors Hudson Williams and Ty Bates to be a formidable 1-2 punch on the mound.
“Once we get into a routine with a two-game week and get into the meat of district, we’ve got quality arms everywhere,” Dunnam said of his pitching staff. “So far, it’s felt like Hudson is going to be our No. 1 and I’m treating it that way right now before we get into next week. Ty will always be around. We’re going to find ways to put him in meaningful situations. Gunner Smith and Chris Allen have been throwing a lot of strikes for us. We’ve got some depth in the backend too but I would expect Hudson and Ty to be a 1-2 punch for us.”
Bates is back behind the plate after earning a spot on the Archer County News Diamond Dozen squad last season. He’s currently hitting at a .455 clip with three doubles, a triple, five RBI and four runs scored.
“This year, Ty’s going to be back there when he’s not on the mound,” the Archer City head coach said. “He’s taking some responsibility over it. He’s already improved his approach back there so much even from earlier this season. In high school sports, it’s good if the best athlete in your school is touching the ball on every single play and as a catcher, he’s going to be right in that mix.”
Allen has spent time on the bump and manning first through the early goings for the Wildcats. He’s expected to become a regular contributor at first base.
“Chris has never played first base before but he’s a big kid and has awesome hands. He’s really good with the ball in the dirt. He’s putting the ball in play a lot too. I’ve seen some good stuff from him, we’ve just got to keep him healthy.” Second base is a com
Second base is a competitive spot for Archer City and will largely depend on who is toeing the rubber. Gage Gillispie has seen some early reps while Smith is expected to rotate in and out.
“Second base is going to be an open door based on who’s pitching. Gage Gillispie is learning how to play there because he’s been in there a lot. Gunner will be there when he’s not pitching and then Gage will fill in from the outfield. We’re going to be okay. Second base is a fun position, you get to be involved in a lot of different stuff.”
Shortstop primarily features the great glove of Kameron Moss. He’s shown early success, hitting at a .476 clip with six runs and five steals from the leadoff spot.
“Kameron Moss is, at times, our smoothest baseball player with his hands and getting through things. I’m trying to put him in a position where he’s going to see a lot of traffic because we believe he’s one of our better gloves. He’s also going to have to catch at times when Ty is on the mound.”
Williams mans third and returns as a multiyear starter at the position. Through the first seven games of the season, he’s mashing the ball with a pair of dingers to go along with seven RBI. “Hudson is finally
“Hudson is finally healthy this year. He’s not so stiff and having to stand up straight. It always feels good when you have a huge athletic body at third base. He’s smooth with the glove; he loves the backhand play and he’s got a cannon for an arm.”
Chance Warren makes his high school baseball debut in left field. “Left field is a tricky
“Left field is a tricky spot for us. Chance’s never played high school baseball so we’re trying to teach him some things on the fly. He’s got a long, athletic body and can chunk it when he comes through it right. We’ve got to get him comfortable out there.”
The Wildcats have speed to burn in center in McKinnen Beaver.
“McKinnen Beaver is going to play a lot of centerfield. He’s the fastest kid on the field. As long as he keeps putting the ball in play and getting under fly balls, we’re going to get a lot of outs that way.” Former MLB General
Former MLB General Manager Billy Beane once called Kevin Youkilis the ‘Greek God of Walks.’ Wildcats right fielder Isaac Dieguez certainly fits that bill. With one of the smallest strike zones in the state, Dieguez currently boasts a .529 on-base percentage with a team-high six walks.
“Isaac is a freshman in right field. He’s learning high school baseball. Out of anybody that we have, Isaac has played as much baseball as anybody in Archer City outside of Hudson and Ty. He knows a lot so we feel like we can teach him a lot of things and throw him in a lot of different spots. He’s doing a great job thus far. He’s putting the ball in play and has been involved in a lot of scoring plays for us. High school baseball is what it is. You’re going to make errors so you’ve got to outscore people.”
If fun is the name of the game for Dunnam, one of the kids he wants around the program is someone like Lane Lewis. “Lane is a guy that every
“Lane is a guy that everybody likes to have around. He’s just a fun kid that breaks up the seriousness of everything. I enjoy having a guy like that around. Wherever we can hide him on a baseball field, we’re going to hide him.”
With Dunnam’s enthusiasm, if the Wildcats can quickly overcome the learning curve, this is a dangerous team to watch out for.
