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Published: Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 / Updated: Tuesday, Mar. 05, 2013 04:14 PM

YCHS baseball team to host Fort Mill Friday

YORK -- 

With all of the preseason preparations and rainouts behind them, the York Comprehensive High School baseball team jumped into regular-season action in a huge way this week.

The Cougars of head coach Scot Kiggans will host Region 3-AAAA foe Fort Mill Friday, capping a busy week that included three games to kick off the season.

Friday’s game with the visiting Yellow Jackets will begin at 6 p.m. at the YCHS baseball complex.

Kiggans has said that he has been pleased with the team’s work ethic and mindset.

“The kids have been working hard and showing great effort at practice,” he said.

Senior mainstay Tyler Szabo, who plays multiple positions, including pitcher, said this year’s team is loaded with underclassmen that can get it done.

“We have five seniors and a lot of sophomores and juniors,” Szabo said of this year’s roster. “I know I developed my game in my sophomore and junior seasons.”

Though Szabo is a senior with a wealth of experience, he prefers to lead by example rather than assume a senior leadership role.

Said Szabo, “I will correct one of the younger players if I see the need to, but we are a team and we play as a team.”

Szabo has his thoughts about what it will take to be successful in Region 3-AAAA play. “We need to hit the ball and not make mistakes on the field,” he said.

Szabo said preseason scrimmages were beneficial to the team. “We found areas that needed improvement in the scrimmages,” observed the Cougar senior.

Second-year varsity participant Hunter Horne, who pitches and plays shortstop, is a sophomore who had plenty of mound duty as a freshman last year. “Getting a good bit of playing time last year gave me confidence going into this season,” he said.

When called for mound duty, Horne said his go-to pitch is the fastball, mixing in the curve and change-up to keep the hitters honest.

Horne said the key to success is to give 100 percent all of the time. “The coaches won’t get on you if the effort is there,” observed Horne.