Outlaws strong on defense, pitching

Last updated 4/25/2023 at 4:26pm

Stellar pitching and strong defense have carried the Sisters High School Outlaws baseball team to a 7-2 record in league play.

Coach Matt Hilgers said the team has prevailed in “some close, intense baseball” this spring. They took two out of three against both Pleasant Hill and La Pine, two of the most challenging teams in the league.

Brody Duey turned in a no-hitter against the Creswell Bulldogs.

“We followed it up with Brody Davis pitching a one-hitter,” Hilgers said. “We’ve had really good pitching. Pitching and defense have been our strong points.”

No-hitters and one-hitters don’t happen without strong defense, and Hilgers noted that the Outlaws have made some great plays in the outfield that saved many runs.

The bats have lagged a bit, which Hilgers says is partially attributable to not getting enough outdoor practice time.

“It’s been a rough spring with weather,” he said, noting that games have had to be rescheduled, and they actually played several games before they had a single outdoor practice.

“It’s been a mess to start the spring,” he acknowledged.

Hitters are working on mechanics, and the coach expects the bats to come alive as they get more reps on the diamond.

The Outlaws technically sit in second place, behind 10-2 La Pine. The records are distorted because the Outlaws had their bye week in the first week of the season and haven’t played as many games as their rival.

“If we play well the rest of the way, we should be in a good position,” Hilgers said.

Looking toward the back half of the season, Hilgers says the Outlaws need to focus not on their opponents but on their own play.

“We just need to focus on how we’re going to play,” he said. “We could lose to any one of them if we don’t play our game.”

The Outlaws were to travel to Elmira on April 25. They face the same squad in a double-header on Friday, April 28. Hilgers said the team is really looking forward to that one, because the forecast calls for actual baseball weather.

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Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.