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Local Players Making Transition At SFCC

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

SFCC’s Corey Ritter, who was on the mound against Polk on Wednesday, is battling for a spot in the Panther rotation.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: October 12, 2007

AVON PARK — Making a good impression is always something a newcomer to a team wants to impose on a coach.

The numerous incoming freshman for the South Florida Community College Panther baseball team have been given the keys to the baseball palace — if they want it.

SFCC head coach Rick Hitt and his staff have opened things up during the fall scrimmage season and put starting jobs up for grabs to any player that shows the skill to take it.

"The acclimation process for our new players is going slowly," Hitt said. "From a maturity aspect, classroom and on the field, a small percentage of the players lack an approach to what we ask of them everyday."

With 26 incoming freshman on the fall roster, Hitt has put the onus on the newcomers as to who wants it more.
For some of the freshman, life in college has been a struggle on and off the field.

"Practices are definitely harder at the college level," former Blue Streak JT Tomlinson said. "We run so much more now and there is more emphasis on conditioning. In high school, all we worried about was who we were facing next."

The healthy competition for a spot on the spring roster is what drives them, but talent alone is not enough to make the team, and effort and attitude are what should be the guiding force.

"Fall is when we see who 'can and can't,' and also 'will and won't' in terms of being a part of this team," Hitt said. "There are plenty of starting jobs in limbo and they are going to go to the players that show me the effort that I'm looking for. There is a small group of players on this team that don't take any days off and those are the players that I'm looking for."

Former Sebring Blue Streak Charlie Peck is just trying to make the most of when he is on the field, while learning the nuances of the college game.
"The level of competition has gone up, but right now I'm just trying to find my swing," Peck said. "There are plenty of starting jobs and we are all competing for playing time when the season starts. I want to do well just like everyone else."

With the fall season winding down, roster spots are beginning to dwindle and time is running out.
"I know that it is demanding for the players," Hitt said. "It's demanding in terms of grades, study hall and practice, but it is a necessity to build a good team and we want and deserve the best."

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