'The strength of the team is simply the players'

PSHS baseball team preps for second season

Philip Simmons High School baseball coach Josh Kubisz has high hopes as his team preps for its second season of competition.

Part of the reason for the coach’s optimism is strength in numbers. There are 15 players on the varsity team and 16 on the junior varsity team. The other reason is because of performance. The Iron Horses went 5-13 in their debut season, reaching the second round of the Class AA playoffs.

Kubisz refused to let lack of experience be an issue when the school fielded a team for the first time last spring. Yes, the team didn’t have juniors and seniors, but the coach said it wasn’t a factor.

“Baseball is different,” he said. “You don’t need a guy lifting 300 pounds like you do in football. I didn’t see having such a young team as a disadvantage. What I have is kids who will be in the program for four, five and six years. That’s a big advantage, actually.”

Kubisz played at Goose Creek High School and graduated in 2008. He matriculated to Newberry College and finished out at Penn State University Allegheny. After graduation, he returned to Goose Creek in 2013 as an assistant on Chris Pond’s staff. He was named coach at Philip Simmons when the school opened.

It was a case of new, new, new. The team had a new field, a new locker room and a new weight room. The coach used social media to get the word out about the team and players donned athletic wear that boasted of their sport.

The result was success in the first year as the team finished third in Region 6-AA. Encore? Kubiz set the bar just short of the stratosphere, and he expects the Iron Horses to be at the top of the region standings by the time May rolls around.

The team doesn’t have overwhelming talent. But is has enough talent to win. Kubisz stresses the fundamentals and everyone who takes the field is expected to know the difference from small ball and long ball.

The Iron Horses will manufacture runs, play strong defense and support each other.

The way Kubisz talks, esprit de corps is a must.

The team has talent. Max Bailey is a sophomore who will play pitcher and catcher. Tripp Williams, who shone on the football field, is a physical specimen who has power. Ty Peterson is a much-improved shortstop while Taylor Harper patrols center field. He has been clocked at 6.9 seconds in the 60-yard dash.

Kubisz said the strength of the team is simply the players. No one dominates, but everyone contributes. He sees a path to the top of the Lowcountry baseball mountain in the near future. He points out that the Daniel Island area is a fertile baseball area and uses Bishop England and Hanahan as examples.

“If we keep things together, keep players in the program and keep them healthy, we can compete against Bishop England, Hanahan, Oceanside Academy and Academic Magnet.”

Stay tuned.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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