Team: Indian Hills Warriors
Conference: ICCAC
College Level: JUCO
2021 Overall Record: 44-16
Location: Ottumwa and Centerville, Iowa
Head Coach: Matthew Torez
Key Returning Position Players
Ricardo Van Grieken- Returning as our starting SS, is a really good defender and has the ability to handle the bat. He hit .335 for us last year and was an All-Region SS.
Tucker Ebest- Tucker finished the year strong for us, had really good tournament run and gave him confidence going in to his sophomore year. He played on a bad knee all spring and had surgery right after the season. We are looking for him to add power to the lineup this year.
Key Returning Pitchers
Douglas Rojas- Douglas was 6-0 last year for us and pitched the District Championship game against Wabash Valley to send us to the WS. He brings a bunch of experience to the staff and is a quality LHP starting pitcher.
Gavin Hinckley- Gavin was 2-1 with 2 saves mostly out of the bullpen last year with 4 starts sprinkled in, he will transition to the starting role this year.
Impact Freshman/Transfers
James (JJ) Dutton- JJ is physical/athletic OF with a ton of potential, he will had both power potential and the ability to steal bases.
Jack Nelson- Jack is a freshmen LHP who will give us some starting pitching depth and has pushed our returners for more innings in the spring.
What things did you see from the team in the fall?
We saw a team who has really started to gel as a group. They have really showed up every day focused on trying to improve as a group and as a player.
What was the focus during the fall for the team?
Our focus every fall is to try and get our team to buy in to the little things. We have a lot of new players so we really needed to focus on helping the new guys understand the importance of little things turning in to big things.
What are the expectations and goals for the team entering the season?
Our focus every year is just maximizing our season. We play a quality schedule to prepare ourselves for the end of the year, and if we can maximize our season the rest will take care of itself.