By Mason E. Haynes

The Spartans baseball team has a solid beginning into their 2017 season and Cory Mann is the new coach for the men’s baseball team.

This will be his second year replacing Ben Routson as coach and he has an encouraging view to help the men’s Spartan baseball team condition for the road ahead.

Mann believes that team bonding is crucial for the Spartan baseball team will keep them competitive against their rivals.

“With any team sport you’ve got to have chemistry,” Mann said. “We do a lot of team building and we try to preach that being part of the team is important and finding a way to make yourself contribute to be a part of the game”.

Along with players who are seasoned in playing baseball there are also some new incoming freshmen that will become part of the team. There are new freshmen that join the baseball team each year, and Mann looks forward to training the new athletes along with seasoned veterans.

“We got a good nucleus of guys coming back and some new talent coming up, so it’s going to be interesting,” Mann said. “It’s also going to be a fun year and we’re going to see how far we can get it together and make it.”

Mann also has plans for the team. He intends to continue coaching in the future and pursue the one sport he truly loves: baseball.

“In the next five years I hopefully see myself right here building the program, and I hope to keep contending to be successful in our region,” Mann said. “I hope we make it to states and win to see the state title.”

One of Mann’s biggest dream’s is to hopefully push the men’s Spartan baseball team to win states at some point in his coaching career.