Rams face diamond rebuilding project

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Leading the Roy-Hart baseball team into the upcoming season is this quartet of returning regulars Isaac Smith, Evan Poeller, Sean Mettler and Gavin Heideman.

Having lost five All-League players to graduation, Roy-Hart faces a bit of a rebuilding task heading into the upcoming Niagara-Orleans League baseball season.

Anchoring the Rams lineup will be the veteran quartet of juniors Sean Mettler (Second Base/Shortstop/Pitcher), Gavin Heideman (Outfield/Pitcher), Isaac Smith (Third Base/Pitcher) and Evan Poeller (Outfield/Pitcher).

Mettler and Heideman both earned N-O All-League Honorable Mention last spring.

Roy-Hart’s graduation losses included first team All-League honorees Dawson Draper (Pitcher/Outfield/Third Base), Ethan Kuzma (Catcher/Pitcher) and Jake Gould (Shortstop/Second Base/Pitcher) along with second team selections Rem Albee (First Base) and Brayden Hy (Outfield/Pitcher).

The Rams roster also includes senior Scott Clark, sophomore RJ Townsend along with freshmen Blake Stahl, John Brigham, Will Bundrock, Jared Hy and Lincoln Murray.

“We’ve got a young group so it will be interesting,” said Coach Jim Heideman.

The Rams are scheduled to prep for the April 8 N-O home opener against Wilson with a trio of non league road contests this coming week including at Amherst on Tuesday (5 p.m.) at Niagara Falls on Thursday (5 p.m.) and at Niagara-Wheatfield on Saturday (1 p.m.).

Roy-Hart went 9-3 in N-O action and 14-7 overall last spring.