The Etowah baseball team is dusting off its cleats in preparation for the new season. This month, Etowah is having its annual baseball tryouts for the varsity and junior varsity teams. 

“This is my fourth year playing for Etowah baseball, and I am most excited about the memories I am going to leave here with,” Bryant Madden, senior, said. 

Greg Robinson will be starting his 24th year as head coach this season. At tryouts, Robinson is seeking young men who love to play the “right way,” love their teammates, and love the game. He is looking forward to seeing who will replace the 12 players who graduated last season.  

“We are in the toughest region in the state, and we play 10 of the top 15 ranked programs, so I look forward to seeing how we stack up against the best,” Robinson said.  

The main goal the team has this season is to strive to win region and make it to the state playoff games at the peak of the season.  

“We have such great staff and rowdy fans that always come out to support the team which really helps with adrenaline,” Robinson said. 

Underclassmen have been preparing for their first varsity tryouts by playing on elite teams outside of school. Most freshmen and sophomores have said that they are not nervous because of all the preparation they have put into practicing throughout the year.  

“I feel pretty good about tryouts. There isn’t much to be nervous about because I have been throwing and hitting very frequently,” Colby Flaig, sophomore, said.  

On Jan. 16, the players will find out what team they made. Starting next week, the preseason begins, and the boys will be practicing almost daily until the end of the season to hopefully relive the celebration they had in 2017 from winning state playoffs against Woodstock.