With several scrimmages under their belt and three seniors leading the way, the Newcastle Racers baseball team began a new season last week.
Pitcher Jackson Robertson, pitcher Carson Wade and second baseman Gunner King are taking the field to lead an otherwise young Racer team in 2024.
Head Coach Jarod King, in his first year at the helm for Newcastle, said, “You never know if you feel ready or not, but we’ve had a lot of at-bats and we’ve pitched it well. You have some innings that you don’t like, but you can fix that before the season starts.”
King said those were just his thoughts for the pre-season scrimmages.
“I’m excited where we are. We are very young but I do think we are very talented,” King said. “We have a lot of guys who can play left field, second base and shortstop. There are three or four who can play shortstop and there’s not a huge difference between them.”
King said other team leaders are first baseman Taj Smith, who is also designated hitter, and sophomore Ryder Gibson and junior Austin Gibson, brothers who play catcher and infield.
He said sophomore Tyler Frazier is a starting pitcher with sophomore Kaden Longman coming in relief. The team also has returners Jackson Schanuel, a junior, and Lane Seaton, who will play third base. King said Seaton started as a freshman last year.
“I”m excited. We have some young talent,” King said. “I think we have a good chance to make a run for this year and the next. The boys are playing hard and the future looks bright if we can keep working hard and getting after it.”
Newcastle competes in Class 4A District 3. It is made up of Ardmore, Dickson, Madill, Marlow, Newcastle, Plainview and Sulphur. King said just looking at the district, he thinks Newcastle and Marlow will have a chance at either first or second place.
King played college baseball at NOC-Tonkawa and at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha. He was an assistant coach from 2007-2013 at Chickasha Public Schools. He left Chickasha to teach and be head coach at Fletcher Public Schools for eight years. At Fletcher, he had a 302-129 win-loss record and had three state tournament appearances.
In 2019, King was named the All-State Coach and SWOBCA’s Coach of the Year. While serving as an assistant coach, he was a part of three state runner-up teams in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Just before coming to Newcastle, he coached at Comanche for two years.
Assistant coaches for the Racers are Mike Allen and J.T. Ketch.
Grady Wade is it the Newcastle Baseball Booster Club president.
Donations are welcome to the baseball program. They are used to purchase food and equipment or other needs of the team.
Wade can be reached by email at gradywade11@hotmail. com.
