The 2020 DCHS Tigers baseball season was disappointing in so many ways. The team managed to complete just two games before the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to play and ended the season before it really began. Not only did the pandemic end the baseball career of that year's seniors, it deprived the other players of a year of vital experience. It was also Tigers Baseball Head Coach Tad Webb's first year of heading up the DCHS baseball program.

This season the team is facing obstacles that were created by last year's cancelled season. The team has to gauge their own skills and faults, as well as that of their competition. In a year where all teams are entering into the season blind so to speak, the Tigers readying themselves for challenges and to get back on the field.

When asked how his team is looking this year, Coach Webb said it's still too early to tell. "A lot of guys have been working hard, putting in their time," he said. "The efforts there, and the work ethics definitely been better this year as we've been able to implement some more things. At this point, it's still too early to tell. We don't know how to gauge it from last year."

Coach Webb points out that while the Tigers lost some experience on the field last year, all the other teams are facing the same dilemmas. "It's true that the other teams lost experience too, and that's what we keep telling them. Our lack of experience that we are coming out of from last year, everyone is going to be in the same boat. There's no excuses at this point."

According to Coach Webb, he is looking to the players that do have playing time to step up into the leadership positions. "Right now, we're looking at some of our pitching staff to be some of our leaders," he explained. "That's with guys we were going to depend on last year, and we'll depend on this year. Patrick Cantrell, as a pitcher, Avery South, also as a pitcher, and we think we've got a couple of other guys that we're expecting big things out of, like Isaac Knowles and Emberton Dexton. But again, not having the experience last year, it's still kind of hard to tell."

Webb said that there are experienced players on the team that he expects will continue where they left off. "There are some older guys that have been around, and have some experience, like Aiden Curtis having an opportunity to play for several years, and being a senior. He's one that we expect a lot of things out of. Jacob Johnson was swinging the bat well last year, and we expect him to pick up and continue that same mentality this year."

When asked about the game schedule this season, Coach Webb said it was going to be tough, and some by design. "It's going to be pretty tough this year I think. Obviously, our district is going to be pretty solid. When you play against teams like Watertown and Upperman, as well as Macon County, who's got some kids that I'm hearing things out of, but I haven't seen them. It's hard for me to determine where we stand and stack up against everyone, because we didn't see any of them last year."

"We play at a couple of tournaments," Coach Webb added. "I think we'll definitely run into some big competition at the tournaments. I told them that is what I wanted to do ... to play some big teams. That way it builds us up for later on in the year. It's hard to gauge this season, but everyone is in the same boat and we just take the challenge and accept what's put in front of us and go after them."

The Tigers' first game is set for mid March, starting with a string of road trips. The first three games are on the road, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, with their first home game being that Friday the 19th.