March 26, 2014
At the beginning of the school year, Adam Loecker had no idea that he would eventually be taking over the Bonner Springs High boys baseball program as the head coach when the season started.
Former coach Scott Lero resigned in the middle of the school year leaving the position up for grabs.
Loecker was already in the district and had joined on with the program last summer but he would have his hands full. As a first year coach, he was picking up a struggling program that had went 2-18 in 2013.
“Actually, it’s motivating because of the fact that I can actually do something to make an impact on the program because we can always go up,” he said. “We are kind of at the bottom of the barrel right now and the only thing that we can do is go up.”
Fortunately for Loecker, the transition’s gone smoothly.
“I don’t think it has been difficult,” he said. “They are willing to listen and learn because you know, new coach, new standards, different philosophy. But you know baseball is baseball and I think they are willing to ask questions and they are coachable players for the most part.”
Junior shortstop Roman Glenn, who has been a varsity player since his freshman year, has an optimistic outlook on the impending season.
“I feel like if we play to our potential that we have, we can go pretty far,” Glen said. “We have a new coach, so we do have those new standards and if we do all the little things right, we can take it away.”
So what are those new standards?
For the former JUCO pitcher, developing a pitching staff is the first step. The McPherson native pitched for two years at Hutchinson Community College before concentrating on his education at Kansas State University, where he graduated from in 2012 before coming to BSHS as a math teacher.
“We have to start somewhere and I think they are going to be the glue to the team,” he said. “That’s what I preach to our guys everyday-pitching and defense- because bat’s don’t come everyday but pitching and defense, we can have that on a day-to-day basis and hopefully that is what holds our team together.”
Junior center fielder Thaddeus Glenn said consistent pitching would solve some of last season’s shortcomings.
“We didn’t have great pitching and there were a lot of balls and walks and it was a big problem,” Glenn said.
Focusing on pitching and defense could potentially propel the Braves to at least a .500 win season, Glenn said.
“I think we are capable of that and we could probably make it to state,” he said. “I’m just excited and ready to see how the season will go.”
The Braves enter the season with a relatively young roster consisting of one senior and a handful of juniors and sophomores.
“We had (more than) 40 guys try out this year and that was pleasing to see because that means there is interest in the program,” Loecker said. “If you get interest in the program then I think you can start developing players and wins will start to come that way.”
Loecker and the Braves will be relying on lone senior — Maison Patchett — not only as a leader, but as a utility player.
“I ask more of him than I do of anybody else on the team and I think he is going to be ready to carry that weight,” Loecker said.
Patchett, who pitches and plays shortstop and catcher, said he is ready to make the most of his final season with the Braves.
“I just want to do good so I can go to college,” he said. “I want to win more games and just be more consistent as a team and play good every game, not just every now and then.”
Loecker said he’s not too worried about wins and losses. He said progress and improvement are more important than a aiming for a winning record at this point.
“I’m worried about what can we do to get better,” he said. “That’s basically the goal I have. Did we take a step forward or did we take a step back? And hopefully everyday we are going to be moving in the right direction and wins will start to pile up.
“We can make a run that way, but if we are not getting better then we are not winning games,” Loecker said.
The Brave’s season opens Thursday with a double-header against Mill Valley.
“I’m excited, probably more excited than some of the players because I’m out here doing what I enjoy,” Loecker said. “I probably have more butterflies than a lot of the players do because it’s been a challenge so far but it’s been a fun challenge.”
Angelique McNaughton 