Caesar Rodney baseball team wants to go farther this season
CAMDEN — Steven Donigan always believed the Caesar Rodney High baseball team was better than its record.
And for a moment, it looked like the Riders might just prove it.
Going into …
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Caesar Rodney baseball team wants to go farther this season
By Andy Walter
CAMDEN — Steven Donigan always believed the Caesar Rodney High baseball team was better than its record.
And for a moment, it looked like the Riders might just prove it.
Going into the bottom of the fifth inning of its DIAA state tournament game last spring, No. 23 CR led No. 10 Salesianum by a run.
Unfortunately for the Riders, that’s where the dream ended. The Sals rallied for a 5-3 win.
“It was a competitive game, definitely,” said Donigan, a junior pitcher. “I think we definitely could have beat them. They’re a great team.
“Going into this season, it motivated me a lot — OK, if we can hang with those private schools, we can hang with the top teams in the state.”
Five games into this season, CR’s players know that the biggest key to a better finish is having a better regular season.
The Riders are in the midst of a pretty remarkable stretch in which they’ve won exactly 10 games during the regular season for five seasons in a row.
While CR has made the state tourney in each of those five campaigns, it’s also won just two tournament games in that stretch.
More wins, of course, would put the Riders in a better position in the tourney.
So far this season, they were 3-2 going into spring break.
“I don’t understand it,” CR coach Jeff Gravatt said about the streak of 10-win regular seasons. “There’s no rhyme or reason. Our schedule changes a little bit from year to year.
“We’d like to get over that hump this year, there’s no doubt. ... We want to get a home playoff game. We’re right there, we can compete with those guys. We’ve got to do it and not just come close.”
“We barely got in last year,” said senior infielder Graham Buckson. “Whenever there’s a tough loss, we’ve just got to bounce back right away.”
A season ago, five of the Riders’ nine losses came by two runs or less. Twice they lost back-to-back games before ending the season on a four-game losing streak.
CR graduated 11 seniors from last year’s squad. But the Riders return a pair of second-team All-Henlopen North picks in Donigan and third baseman Caden Heritage.
Buckson made honorable mention.
Donigan, a left-handed pitcher, still thinks CR has a good deal of talent on its roster.
“The potential we have as a team I think is what motivates us,” he said. “And seeing everyone showing up at 9 a.m. sometimes for practice and just everyone being there as a team. ... There’s always something you can improve on.”
Gravatt likes the determination his players have shown in the early season.
The Riders gave up three runs to Dover in the first inning of their season opener but rallied for a 9-7 victory. Then, last Saturday, they shook off a tough 3-2 loss to Queen Anne’s, Md. to down Severn, Md., 12-2, later in the day.
“I just think we never really give up,” said Buckson. “Even if we’re down, we don’t blink. We don’t get down on ourselves and we don’t bring each other down.”
“I like the way we fight,” said Gravatt. “It’s really good to see the resiliency of these kids and the mental toughness that they’ve shown so far when things aren’t really going well.”
At the moment, CR’s toughest opponent is the cold, rainy weather. On Wednesday, the Riders were getting what they could out of practicing in the gym.
Every Delaware team is in the same situation, naturally. But Gravatt tells his players that getting the most out of every opportunity will pay off.
“They’ve done a really good job so far of staying focused,” he said. “We’ve been inside a lot and it’s not fun. We’d rather be outside.
“We’re focusing on little things when we’re inside and stepping up the baseball IQ and not just going through the motions. The ones who do the best with the time that they have in these inside sessions are going to be the ones who come out the most prepared.”
“We’ve just got to keep focused and keep practicing hard,” said Buckson. “And work with what we have honestly.”
Extra innings
•The Delaware Baseball Coaches Association named a preseason All-State squad. Cape Henlopen pitcher Brad Marks and Sussex Tech catcher Kade Hall were named to the first team.
Ten Downstate players made one of the three teams. Donigan was an honorable mention selection.
•The DBCA also had a preseason team ranking with Cape Henlopen at No. 1 and Sussex Central at No. 5. The Vikings and Golden Knights are both 4-0. They are slated to face each other on April 23 at Sports at the Beach.
•Sussex Central is scheduled to play all 10 of its home games at Sports at the Beach.
•Defending state champion Delaware Military is scheduled to face CR, Dover and Sussex Central during the regular season.
