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For the first time in over three decades, the Dinos will have a new skipper standing in the dugout. Rob Smith, who spent the past five years with the Spartans, will direct the Dinos when they take the field this spring.
“I’m excited, we’ve got a lot of really good returners,” started Smith. “Returners that were a big part of what they’ve done the last two years.”
Colton Lowe, Wyatt Falk and Chet Anderson are a few of the players that will be back in the lineup. Lowe led the Dinos in nearly every offensive statistic last year before breaking his leg right before the playoffs. He had an OBP of .596 with a .977 SLG. He also hit six triples and two homers with 27 RBIs.
“Offensively, they all swing it really well,” Smith said. “Almost everybody on varsity throws and throws decent. That’s really going to be helpful.”
Speaking of pitching, Falk was solid on the mound with 32 strikeouts in 27 and 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, Anderson can do a little of everything. He is great in the field and at the plate and also appeared in two games on the mound.
“Defensively, we’re solid everywhere on the field,” commented Smith. “We’ve got two to three guys everywhere on the field that play good defense. We’re in a good spot both offensively and defensively.”
Region 12 will once again be stacked, but the Dinos are up for the challenge. “Canyon View is going to be good, they only lost one or two [players].” Smith continued, “We should compete as well for the top spot.”
Carbon and Canyon View also expect to compete at the state level along with Juab and other top programs. With that, the Dinos are ready to take the field. Smith wants to make sure his squad is “aggressive and takes advantage of other teams’ mistakes.”