ROCKINGHAM — When first-year Richmond Senior baseball coach Rob Ransom takes the home dugout on Monday evening for the season-opener against Anson, he’ll be embarking on a journey that he hopes eventually ends with the Raiders’ return to glory years.
“We just want to continue the tradition that’s been here,” said Ransom. “What I’d like to see us do is get back in contention for a conference title…and hopefully, make the playoffs and make a push.”
A former baseball standout at Richmond, Ransom knows first-hand the storied past of the four-time state champions. The last title came in 1983, and Ransom feels its time for that drought to end.
He says that his style of managing involves preaching simplicity and keeping his young group loose.
Ransom inherits a bunch that graduated 11 seniors who caught fire down the stretch and posted a 19-9 record.
That Raiders team scored a 3-0 shutout over Anson in the season-opener a year ago, but the new skipper anticipates a feistier opponent this time around.
“I expect they’ll be competitive. That’s a big rivalry for them and nothing would be better for them to come over and knock us off,” he said of the Bearcats.
Anson posted a 9-14 mark last season that included a first-round exit at the state playoffs.
The key returners include seniors Garrett Maner, who pitched a team-high 38 innings and had team-lows with 68 strikeouts and a .368 ERA.
Fellow senior Wesley Lear comes back after finishing with a .433 batting average a year ago while leading the Bearcats in every major hitting category. He also saw action on the mound, racking up 32 punchouts in 27 total innings.
“Our guys are excited to open up at home…I think our fans and our parents are behind us and supporting us, so I know they’re excited. I think there’s a good buzz about us right now and hopefully, we can come out and have a good week.”
After Monday’s tilt with the Bearcats at 7 p.m., Richmond goes on the road to Cape Fear on Tuesday before ending the week with a home doubleheader against Ashley and Laney on Saturday.
Lady Raiders soccer
Chris Larsen and the Richmond girls soccer team will be just as busy to start its 2020 campaign.
The club begins the season with a three-game slate next week after taking part in the Hoke Jamboree on Saturday.
“I told them not to get discouraged and we just got to go out there, pull together and make it work,” said Larsen. “Don’t let the first game or two, or even scrimmage, dictate how you feel about the rest of the season.”
Richmond faced two teams at the scrimmage, non-conference opponent Gray’s Creek who was 16-4-1 a year ago and Purnell Swett (12-7, 9-5) who finished just behind Richmond in the conference standings.
The Lady Raiders are tasked with having to withstand the loss of 10 seniors from last year’s 15-5 club who went 12-2 in the Sandhills Athletic Conference to finish second.
The young bunch will have the services of six seniors including returning starters Carley Lambeth and Valery Standridge at midfield.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Huff is the leading goal-scorer among returners with 12, while junior Jayla McDougald is also back in the mix after netting seven goals.
Manning the defensive charge is junior Kelly Hoffman, the conference’s reigning co-Goalkeeper of the Year after notching 60 saves.
Larsen says the foundation his current players posses is solid, and that it’s just a matter of fine-tuning and building through game reps.
“The concepts and understands are starting to fall into place. So once we start getting in games and can watch some footage on it… I think we’ll be on the right track,” said Larsen.
The Lady Raiders officially open the season at Southern Lee on Monday, then host Purnell Swett on Friday in the conference-opener.
