Cheney 15U team prepares for season

The Cheney 15U Summerhawks baseball team is gearing up for another summer of competition.

The team will once again compete in the Spokane Indians Youth Baseball 15U League. Last year the team went 6-8, was third in the league standings and finished 1-2 in the 15U City Tournament.

Glenn Chamberlain is the team’s new head coach, taking over for Nick Fell. Chamberlain was the head coach for Cheney High School’s freshmen baseball team and led them to a 20-2 record in their 2016 campaign, with the two losses coming against junior varsity teams. Prior to coming to Cheney, Chamberlain coached baseball in Idaho. He said making the transition to Cheney was “easy” for him as he went to high school with Cheney varsity baseball head coach Mike Cagle.

“Coach Cagle and I have known each for a long time and we played together on the same team,” Chamberlain said. “We have the same philosophies and ideas.”

Chamberlain said the 15U team is comprised of freshmen he coached, eighth-graders and a couple of sophomores. He said one of his goals with the 15U team is to help players get “the fundamentals down and work on the little things.” He said one of his team’s strengths heading into the season “is their confidence.”

“Especially from my guys, they’re riding high off that successful season,” Chamberlain said. “They are telling themselves ‘I can do this.’ I’m looking to build on that.”

One of the challenges Chamberlain said his team will face this season is “better pitching,” which he’s hoping to prepare them for.

When it comes to player positions, Chamberlain, like the 17U Summerhawks head coach Austin Sharp, said he will have athletes playing in different spots on the field.

“If you’re locked into one position and there’s someone who’s better than you, that’s it,” Chamberlain said. “In this game you’ve got to be able to move around.”

The date for the Summerhawks’ first game is not set. According to the Spokane Indians Youth Baseball website, the estimated release date for the summer schedule is June 13.

Although winning games would be nice, Chamberlain said his main goal is to help athletes develop into better players for the baseball season next spring.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].