EDWARDSVILLE - Hunter Baugh, a senior infielder and pitcher for this year's Edwardsville High baseball team, is off to a great start with the Tigers, and is a very experienced player who'll help provide leadership and guidance to the young players.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
In the Tigers' opening 13-3 win over East Moline United on Mar. 19 at Tom Pile Field, Baugh got off to an incredible start with two hits and five RBIs, four coming on a fifth inning grand slam homer, his first of the year. The next day against Oak Park-River Forest, a game Edwardsville lost 4-1, Baugh went zero-for-two with two walks, and against Winnetka New Trier on Mar. 21, he was one-for-two with an RBI in a 7-3 loss, leaving the team at 1-2 after the first weekend.
Baugh is a Spencer Homes Male Athlete of the Month for the Tigers.
Against the Panthers in the season opener, Baugh felt great after connecting for the grand slam that helped turn the tide in Edwardsville's favor.
"Yeah, it felt great," Baugh said. "I kind of battled through some timing issues early in the at-bat, and yanked a couple foul. I finally found a pitch I could tempo down to, and just put a swing on."
The pitch was definitely to Baugh's liking as he swung away.
"It was a curve ball," Baugh said. "I'm assuming he was trying to get it low, he was pounding in the whole at-bat, I had my sights set in, and if he beat me away, he beat me away. But I knew I had kind of a feeling something slow was coming in, and i just unloaded on it."
Baugh will be helping the younger players out immensely this season, and it's a role he gladly accepts.
"We have a lot of younger guys; they're great to be around," Baugh said. "Hopefully, I can have an impact on them, and just kind of teach them The Tiger Way. Since I've been here four years, going on my fourth, I'm just kind of teaching those younger guys how to carry themselves, and battling through the adversity this game throws at them."
He's also adjusted his goals and aspirations for himself and the Tigers this season as well.
"For us, it's one game at a time," Baugh said. "Obviously, we want to see how far we can run, but it's a young team, I've got to focus on one game at a time, and see where that takes us. Obviously, that goes with me, at-bat by at-bat, trying to see what I can do in the at-bat, and the same thing on the mound. one pitch, gotta get ahead, and I've got to make another pitch. We're slowing everything down this year; last year, we had our sights set really high early. This year, we're trying to learn from that, and just battle through what we can do."
Of course, he feels confident in himself and his club.
"Yeah, I'm feeling confident," Baugh said. "It's a good group of guys, a young group of guys. Young. talented kids. So it's going to be fun, it's going to be fun to see what everyone can do."
