Colquitt County High senior catcher Jay Saunders.

MOULTRIE – No substitute for seniors. No substitute for experience. No substitute for pitching depth in high school baseball.

So there’s every reason to understand the anticipation felt by Colquitt County High head baseball coach Tony Kirkland going into the 2017 spring Packer season, and maybe even 2018. He wrote out his current varsity roster, all seniors and juniors with 10 returning starters and a transfer of Southeastern Conference caliber.

“It is a very fun group to work with,” said Kirkland earlier in the week. He made some more marks on his makeshift roster to indicate pitchers – be they starters or relievers – indicating five.

“We have nine seniors,” said Kirkland. “All nine are players. I have 13 juniors. They’re waiting in the wings for the seniors. I have a couple of junior starters, but for the most part … when you return your catcher after three years, return your first baseman, two kids who played second, return your shortstop, return your third baseman, return one-and-a-half outfielders, return four guys on the bump, we’re excited.

“These are the guys who stepped into the lineup two years ago as sophomores. Last year they were 18-12 (after a 7-17 2015). Seeing pitching at our level, game speed and all those things, they’ve been around that for quite a bit.”

Packer pitching depth comes at a time when the GHSA adopted new pitch-count rules starting this spring. The front-line starters Kirkland identified are a trio of juniors: Cory Newsome, Dylan Collins and Ethan Phillips. He said they already have the feel for big-game atmospheres.

“We have everything from good velocity right-handers to good velocity left-handers to your junk ballers to guys who don’t have a lot of velocity,” said Kirkland. “With the pitch counts, it’s something we always followed. It’s common sense. You have to have arms, and we play doubleheaders every Friday. Every time we roll out there for a region ball game, it’s two. You have to have enough pitching to get through two ball games. Sometimes it takes three, four or five guys per game.”

Handling that pitching staff is a senior who’s diamond credentials need no explanations. Jay Saunders represented Colquitt County on Team Georgia last summer and played in a national tournament in Oklahoma. He is also coming off his first season as Packer football’s starting quarterback.

Kirkland recalls when his catcher was voted team captain in baseball both as a sophomore and junior.

“He plays a position where you have to do that,” said Kirkland about leading. “Behind the plate, he takes ownership of that entire field. He is a very special kid, also a special ball player.”

Colquitt’s big newcomer to both baseball and football is senior John Samuel Shenker. Last week, Shenker signed a football scholarship with Auburn University, a school that offered him in baseball while he was still attending Deerfield-Windsor in Albany.

“One heck of a player is what he is,” said Kirkland about Shenker, who can play infield, outfield and pitch. “He is exceptionally skilled. He is going to help us in our hitting lineup. He’s an athlete.”

At shortstop, Kirkland said Gavin Patel, junior, has the highest fielding percentage of any shortstop he’s ever coached.

“He’s a phenomenal defensive guy, and he’s starting to swing the bat nicely,” said Kirkland.

Hayden Bledsoe, a senior, could be a third-year starter for Colquitt if not for a broken leg from his sophomore year. He’s projected to play outfield. Newsome made All-Region last season as a sophomore. Utility infielder Austin Singletary also made First-Team All-Region as a junior in 2016. First base is manned by senior Logan Wheeler, and at the other corner bag – third – is senior Buck Blalock.

“We have a couple of guys battling for positions in the outfield,” said Kirkland about a group including junior Tanner Wilson. “Early on, we are going to play a lot of people. We have a bunch of ball games before we start region play. Before we hit region, I’ve got to have a lineup.”

And when Kirkland makes out that lineup, the idea is to score runs in support of the pitchers.

Saunders was the team leader in stolen bases in 2015, so there’s speed.

The coach said, in practice, baseballs are sailing over the outfield fence at an unprecedented rate thus far.

“We have a little bit of all,” said Kirkland about various offensive weapons. “We have guys who can run. We have station-to-station guys. John Samuel, every time he gets up to bat, has the potential to hit the ball out of the park.

“(Situational hitting) is big. I’m hoping we are going to be a good hitting team. I base everything on a team hitting points chart, a productivity chart. We have to put numbers on that thing. We didn’t do that in years past.”

Packer football’s had tough schedules, so why not baseball? Kirkland said 2017 will be the hardest he’s had as it includes Columbus, LaGrange, Walton, North Cobb, Hillgrove, Lee County and three Florida teams in the Georgia-Florida Challenge. In Region 1-7A, Colquitt’s will contend with Tift County, Lowndes and a Camden County program the Packers haven’t faced in league play.

“A lot of key players across the region graduated,” said Kirkland. “But there were also a lot of good young players just like we had. I got a chance to see several (Camden) players during the summer, and they were impressive.”

The region teams play each other four times.

The Georgia Dugout Club magazine has Colquitt No. 9 in the preseason ranking.

“I think we’re at the point now where every time we walk out there we should expect to win,” said Kirkland. “If they get their mindset going in that direction … the goal is to win the region, to get in the playoffs and make as strong a run as we possibly can. There’s great baseball in the state of Georgia, so it takes a bit of luck. It takes more heart and grit than anything else. My group has a lot of those things.”