By Michael Moreci

With six starters and all three of their top pitchers returning, New Palestine may very well be the team to beat in the 3A class (alongside defending champs Norwell and conference foes Yorktown). Coach Al Cooper welcomes back Star East Player of the Year RHP-1B Patrick Kraft, who finished last season 9-0 with a 1.82 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 55 innings. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Kraft also hit .340 for the Dragons.

Following Kraft in the rotation will be junior RHP Blake Mattingly (5-2, 2.11 ERA, 58 SO, 49 IP) and sophomore Derek Higgins (3-2, 4.00 ERA). Junior Nick Hopkins, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound lefty who was 5-0 for New Palestine’s junior varsity squad, will make his varsity debut this season.

As intimidating as their pitching is, the Dragons are just as loaded offensively. The lineup is built around senior OF and team leader Andrew Armour (.349 BA), who will be expected to provide run-creating firepower in the middle of the order. He’ll be surrounded by a plethora of experienced talent: Kraft, senior SS Adam Rusche (.301 BA), senior 2B Scott Lawley (.310 BA), senior OF Jake Smith (.280 BA, 22 RBI) and senior C Jake Fitzgerald.

And the Dragons have considerable depth waiting in the wings. Junior C Ryan Keeton regularly records a sub-2 pop time down to first while junior OF Matt McKinney possesses tremendous speed. At the sophomore level, MIF Brad Rusche is a defensive star in the making. Additionally, though further down the hierarchical scale, freshman RHP-SS Brady Thomas and freshman RHP-OF Nick Smith may contribute as well.      

But, even with New Palestine’s unusual mix of depth, talent, and experience, the Hoosier Heritage Conference is no cakewalk. With Yorktown, Greenfield, and Pendleton Heights (who tied with the Dragons for first last season) all in the mix, the battle for conference will no doubt be a marathon, not a sprint.