It’s that time of year when you start to hear the ping of an aluminum bat and the pop of a baseball hitting the catcher’s mitt, which signals that the high school baseball season is about to start.

After playing summer ball and recently battling some cold and inclement weather, the Bryan County High School Redskins have been working out throwing and hitting in the batting cage.

First-year head coach Tony Dragon and his 2010 Bryan County High squad are anxious for warmer weather and that first pitch of the season as they try to improve on the 14-13, 6-8 record that the 2009 squad notched.

This year’s squad will be minus nine seniors from last year’s team, so Coach Dragon is being realistic in his 2010 outlook and expectations.

"We have a lot of potential, but we also have many question marks about this team," Dragon said. "We do not have a great amount of varsity game experience among our players, so we will be counting on some inexperienced kids to step up and contribute this year."

Dragon said his goal for this year’s team is to be "a good defensive team and a team that plays smart baseball. We want to be a team that can make the routine plays, is aggressive running the bases, and we want smart hitting at the plate."

The core of this year’s defense will be found up the middle with infielders Garrett Riggleman and Zach Shinall and centerfielder Cameron Lee. Offensively, returners Cody Crowe and Cameron Lee will be relied on to provide some offensive power. Also expected to excel at the plate are Garrett Riggleman, Nick Rudd and sophomore Shane Dillon, who Dragon said has been swinging the bat real well.

A couple of familiar faces will be seen on the mound this year as Crowe and Lee will be the mainstay at the pitching position.

"We are still trying to find some more depth at the pitcher position after Crowe and Lee," he said. "We have several guys we are working with and trying to develop, such as Alex Sapp, Nick Rudd, Garrett Riggleman and Matthew Herb.

"These kids come out ready to practice," Dragon added. "They work hard when they are out on the field and have done a great job so far. Because of their good attitudes and work ethic, we have been able to get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time, even with the inclement weather."

The Redskins’ first game was Tuesday, Feb. 23 against cross-town rival, the Richmond Hill Wildcats. Look for results in Saturday’s paper. Wednesday, Feb. 24 they travel to Liberty County and continue on the road Friday, Feb. 26 in Long County. The first home game for Bryan County will be Tuesday, March 2 when they host the Savannah Country Day Hornets in a region matchup.