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Dragons Confidence At All-Time High

CHRIS HOFFMAN, Highlands Today

Lake Placid's CW Vought, a Sebring transfer, will be looked upon to add leadership and versatility as a pitcher, fielder and hitter during his senior season.

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By CHRIS HOFFMAM Highlands Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 17, 2009

LAKE PLACID - You would think that the Lake Placid baseball team would show signs of pressure since head coach Dan Coomes has labeled the '09 Dragons "the best team ever" to wear the green and white.

"This is the best team I've ever had since I've been coaching here," said Coomes. This is the most capable and has more to offer than any of my past teams."

That is saying a lot since Coomes has coached the likes of Steven Levine and Carlos Sosa, both of whom were All-Heartland Player of the Year selections.

"There are no weak parts to this lineup really," said Coomes. "This is the first year that I can put anyone in the ball game and feel comfortable about it. We have very little liabilities on this team."

The loss of Sosa is hard for any coach to replace, after the pitcher/shortstop was so dominant in nearly every aspect of his game: He batted .433 with a .519 on-base percentage, with 13 stolen bases and seven RBI, not to mention giving up just 11 earned runs and 19 hits for a 1.70 ERA in 45 1/3 innings for the Dragons last year.

"Carlos was a special player that helped us in a lot of categories," Coomes said. "You can't just replace that much production that was wrapped up in one player, but we have a mixture of sophomores and seniors that are doing what they want on that field and are all on the same page."

Returning from last year's squad is infielder Logan Smith, who has been called by Coomes "the best second baseman in the region" and who has a habit of making the tough plays look easy.

Smith battled .417 and had a .943 fielding percentage for the Dragons in '08.

Senior Zach Heckman finished last season with a .451 on-base percentage, while batting .333 and has grown into one of the top offensive weapons for the Dragons this season, while playing left field.

David Hodge is a lock at third base, where he plays the hot corner as good as anyone and seems to get a key hit when at the plate, while James Whitehead is a possibility at shortstop, where he would team up with Smith as the team's defensive tandem.

"James is a very versatile player and I am still looking on where to play him," said Coomes. "He has great hustle and loves the game, but he's not seasoned yet."

On the mound is where Coomes feels real comfortable, as he boasts one of the deepest rotations in the Heartland that features Perry Mason, Colby Delaney, Sam Perry, Kyle Barber and newcomer C.W. Vought.

Mason and Delaney both have solid arms that should help give the Dragons plenty of quality innings and Perry is the bullpens only lefty, while Barber is coming off a knee injury during opening day last season and Coomes says that he's just excited to be back on the field.

"Kyle is just ready to play," said the LP skipper. "He really blossomed during AAU ball over the summer and I'm just tickled with his progress."

Vought is a transfer from Sebring that many of the Lake Placid players should be familiar with, as the senior hurler got his first varsity start against the Dragons in last spring's LP Spring Break Classic, where he gave up no runs and just one hit and threw just 69 pitches in five innings to give the Streaks a 3-2 victory over Sosa.

"I remember that game like it was yesterday," said Vought, who will also play left field when not on the mound. "I feel real good about the transfer to Lake Placid. I couldn't ask for more than Coach Coomes has given me. That is the opportunity to play and contribute to what I think is going to be the best team in the county by season's end."

During the summer, Vought showed his hitting prowess when he hit several long balls to give Coomes another deadly bat for his lineup.

"I wished I had CW as a junior so I could've had two seasons with him," said Coomes. "He's a better player than when he came to us already, but I don't think we've seen the best from him yet.

"But trust me; by the end of the season, people will be talking about CW as one of the top pitchers in the region."

When asked about his new team, Vought was quick to speak of the bond that the team has formed over the summer and for teams to be on the lookout for some amazing things out of the Dragons this season.

"We're a really close knit group and Coach Coomes has really done a good job of getting us ready to play," said Vought. "It was a natural fit when I came here and it's nice to come to a team with no superstar.

"It feels like I'm starting over and I wouldn't want to be any other place."

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