MOULTRIE – The pitching rotation was circa Atlanta Braves mid-1990s. The shortstop was imitating Hall of Famers from the St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles.

At the high school level, those caliber of baseball players don’t show up when you need them. Tony Kirkland of Colquitt County High had a need for them after the 2018 graduation. It was put to the now state coaches Hall of Fame boss for the Packers that, going from 2018 to 2019, ‘young’ is the word of the day.

Kirkland responded that ‘young’ is an understatement.

Colquitt County held a scrimmage game vs. Worth County on Ike Aultman Field at Jerry Croft Stadium (with score not being kept officially). On that night, Kirkland said he could play a catcher with some experience, a first baseman who started most of last season, a centerfielder moved from another position and an experienced left fielder.

“That’s it,” said Kirkland about Packers who come into the spring season with significant varsity playing time. Note he didn’t mention pitchers or middle infielders. Actually … “One pitcher got a lot of time last year. Other than that, everybody out there is new.”

They aren’t, however, new to baseball in the Colquitt County system. The talent may be as good as ever, but Kirkland said there are other factors that make one a solid player.

“Right now, it’s too early to tell,” said Kirkland. “I don’t think they’ve yet gotten comfortable on the baseball field. In this game, until you get comfortable and can relax and play, it’s very difficult to be successful doing the things we ask them to do. That’s going to come with time, maturity. We definitely have some very talented young kids.”

All of the regular starting pitchers for Colquitt County in 2018 – all seniors – earned the chance to play college baseball (Corey Newsome, Ethan Phillips and Dylan Collins). They had some micro-small earned run averages and logged a lot of innings.

In the Worth County scrimmage, Kirkland let seven pitchers get one inning each. He said it was sophomore, sophomore, junior, junior (a freshman would have pitched if not for an illness). Turner Sircy, Eli Faison and Trace Eakins all pitched here and there before, but again, this season will be the chance for new hurlers to make their name.

“Young arms, that’s what it is,” said Kirkland. “We’re not going to overpower anybody on the mound. We have no velocity. But we have guys who are crafty, especially a bunch of left-handers (Sircy, Faison, Gavin Steptoe and Pershaun Fann).”

Shortstop Gavin Patel was a fourth member of the Packer senior class who moved on to college baseball. A fifth, infielder Raines Plant, is at Thomas University. Patel was, Kirkland said, the best in the field he’s ever seen in 28 years as a coach.

“We have a very talented freshman sitting out there (Cannon Whatley),” said Kirkland. “He could very well be in that same mode. We have a young man in Owen Taylor who took every pitch last year standing in (Patel’s) footsteps. If you are going to be around a good one, he was around that.

“There are no spots in that infield that’s solidified. We can do a lot of things with Jaycee Harden. He could easily go to the outfield. He just happened to play a heck of a first base last year.”

The other veteran players are third baseman JT Whatley, the Bledsoe brothers Alex and Reese and outfielder Tucker Hathcock, who batted lead-off in the scrimmage. Kirkland said that’s not set for the whole season either.

“We’re filling out a lineup,” he said. “We’ve had three-and-a-half intra-squads, and he’s been outstanding in that role. It wasn’t a great night for him swinging the bat (Wednesday), but that’s where I would like for him to be. He won’t miss a beat in centerfield. He’s as good as we’ve had.”

It’s the lead-off batter that triggers the offense. Hathcock was in the middle of the order last year behind seniors Patel, Plant, Tanner Wilson and Dylan Dalton. That was a tough set of hitters for any opposing pitcher to get through. What will the offensive potential look like this year?

“We probably have more power in our lineup than a year ago,” said Kirkland. “Jaycee can hit the ball a long way. JT can hit it a long way. (Chase) Sealy launches them out of here every day at the DH spot. I think every guy is still trying to find out who they are. Who is the best ‘me’ to bring to the park every day? That’s a part of growing up.

“I think this group is going to surprise a lot of people when it’s all said and done. It is going to be a process of finding out who we are.”

The regular season begins Tuesday at Valdosta High. Kirkland put a schedule in front of the Packers that will make them grow up, not going easy on the young bunch at all. There are upcoming games vs. Lambert and Hillgrove at home, some Florida schools are coming to Moultrie the first weekend in March, and that’s before the first Region 1-7A doubleheader at home March 8 vs. Lowndes.

Kirkland said a tough schedule is what they need to face what the Vikings have in Dalton Smith and CJ Rose plus later match-ups with Aaron Wainright and Camden County.