Bloomingdale Set For Spring Ball

Bloomingdale Set For Spring Ball
By Tamas Mondovics
Bulls baseball Head Coach Kris Wilken is not complaining with his team’s 4-3 season opening night win against Riverview, followed by a strong performance at Durant High School, beating the Cougars 8-1 and giving the team some confidence ahead a tough district line-up.“I am pretty happy with both our offense and defense, and we have a great season to look forward to this year,” he said.Wilken is reminded of last year’s district semi-finals loss and the program’s need to stay on track if there is ever going to be any chance of a Class 6A-District 8 success.“It comes down to who makes fewer mistakes,” Wilken said as he talked about the keys to turning in a strong season. “We are going to focus on playing hard and keep our mental focus.”The Bulls are facing district opponents Alonso, Plant, Wharton and Brandon high schools, but the program is not without the needed talent to get the job done, including left-handed pitcher Steven Burnham, third baseman Sam Morgan and catcher Sal Giardina. Wilken spoke highly of the three senior captains, who are once again ready to lead.On the girls side of the fence, the Bloomingdale softball program is also ready, with Head Coach Mike Clamon at the helm, but is starting the season with the loss of some key players.“Every hit counts,” Clamon reminded his players during practice as the program struggles to break even. As far as the Bulls’ spring flag football is concerned, there was no shortage of girls trying out to be a part of the program.“More than 50 girls showed up our first day of tryouts and had a consistent numbers showing up for conditioning,” said Head Coach Eric West.West, a former Newsome High School defensive football and wrestling coach, is returning to the athletic arena after taking a couple of years off coaching.Bulls team captain and senior quarterback Sam Copley and junior Kelsey Lay are both sporting strong arms and will be leading Bloomingdale on its quest to victory.For more information about the Bulls, please visit www.maxpreps.com.