The Aberdeen Smittys will look to use a multitude of strengths to help aid them throughout the upcoming spring high school baseball season.

Last spring the Smittys posted a 7-14-1 record. They’ve been in the Aberdeen Dome all winter and are to eager to get on the field.

“For me, I’m very excited. I know the kids are, too,” said Smittys coach Nathan Gonnelly. “We were in the dome this winter, so I think that helps us a little bit too with seeing actual fly balls and be able to play catch at a farther distance than just hitting all winter.”

They’ve been using their time in the dome to help mesh a team of returning players with some new faces stepping into new roles.

“We are returning some guys, but we also have a lot of new faces as well. I think it’s a really good makeup of a team,” Gonnelly said. “The mix of the veterans and the rookies, I think they’re going to balance out really well.”

The Smittys will look to lean on a group of returners led by outfielder Jehiel Aviles.

“Guys that stand out for sure are Jehiel Aviles, Mike Dutenhoffer, Joe Cogley, Ridley Waldo, Levi Hoffman. I mean those guys are kind of our core group, guys who experienced the spring and Legion season last year and guys who are ready to bring it this year,” Gonnelly said. “We got a good group of core leaders, I think. Jehiel especially, I mean he’s just a standout guy with a great attitude. And he’s just as charismatic as it comes, so he’s gonna be one of our guys for sure.”

The Smittys also have a variety of the new faces on the squad looking to step into some big shoes. They have put in the time this past winter and are ready to go.

“We got guys like Jackson Post, Wheeler Malsam, JaSean Rivera. I mean there’s a couple other guys, too,” Gonnelly said. “Those guys, they’ve been busting their tails all winter and kind of proving that they need to be on this varsity roster. They’re the kind of guys who are going to come with a chip on their shoulder.”

The Smittys are scheduled to start their season on Friday at Yankton. The forecast calls for more wintry conditions rather than summer elements, but the players are prepared for just about anything in spring baseball.

“I’m hoping the grit carries over. … You know the weather’s cold, you’re not really sure if it’s gonna rain, if it’s gonna snow, if it’s gonna be 70 degrees,” said Gonnelly. “That’s just some tough elements to play in and it’s a long season. So last year, we had a lot of grit and determination. This year, I believe it’s going to carry over.”

In addition to their grit, the Smittys plan to keep putting the ball in play, stringing hits together to score runs.

“We’re not the home run hitting team. We have a couple guys with that kind of power. If we can just put the ball in play, then that just increases our odds so much to even get on base, whether that’s an unearned run or earned run. Whatever it may be,” Gonnelly said. “As long as we score, that’s all that really matters to me. People always think ‘Oh yeah home runs, home runs.’ No, it’s those singles, those line drive doubles that really produce a consistent offense.”

One area of concentration for the Smittys this spring will be defense and not giving opponents extra outs.

“One thing for sure is fielding. Last year, we gave up a lot of unearned runs to other teams. So, just being able to field the ball cleanly, making those outs that we need to make,” said Gonnelly. “That comes too with not walking guys on the mound. So, if we can dial in those two things, have good defense and compete at the plate with our pitchers, I think we’re going to be successful.”

As they gear up for the spring season, the Smittys will head in with an underdog mentality looking to play as a complete team.

“I just tell the guys hey, have a chip on your shoulder and just be a team. So many times, especially in baseball, where we can get down on ourselves or get down on a teammate because they made an error or struck out looking, whatever it is,” Gonnelly said. “If we can minimize that stuff, if we can just stay as a team, pick each other up and have a chip on our shoulder when we go and face these other teams, that’s a dangerous baseball team.”