Cedar Creek’s Mason Merritt had very little time to transition from his sneakers to his spikes.

Merritt, a 6-foot-6 senior post, finished the basketball season on Tuesday and has just days to prepare for baseball.

He started at receiver the past two seasons for the Eagles (3-17, 1-13 in the 18-5A district). Last season, he led the team last season with a .292 batting average and also had nine RBIs and a .444 on-base percentage.

“He had a pretty good average last year, struggled towards the end of the season but turned it on early,” first-year coach Brett Hoffman said. “I expect him to get back to that rhythm.”

Brett Hoffman said he planned to experiment with Merritt at first base because of his size.

“It’s not outside the realm of possibility for him to play first base, if we have guys who can step in and handle him behind the plate, especially during tournaments,” said Hoffman, who has been promoted to head coach after Josh Thomas. promoted to head football coach.

Hoffman thinks Merritt’s future in college would be more online as a first baseman than a catcher.

“I hope to give him more chances at first base,” Hoffman said. “The last two years we had no one who could serve as a varsity catcher (behind Merritt).”

Hoffman said it was a “difficult transition” from basketball to baseball.

“You have to come here and see 85 to 90 mph pitches at the plate,” he said. “He’s a veteran for us. He knows what he’s doing on the baseball field. He’s a college candidate, that’s for sure.

Cedar Creek struggled to be competitive in the district last season as it was forced to play freshmen.

“When you’re a freshman or sophomore, the game gets to you really fast,” Hoffman said. “Fortunately these players have seen significant innings in the last year, and with experience the game slows down and becomes manageable. I think they will have improved seasons and I expect them to lead a group even younger guys this year.

Pitchers Reynaldo Borrego and Joel Ornelas soaked up significant hits as inexperienced freshmen last season. Borrego was 1-3. He pitched 22 innings with 18 strikeouts and allowed 43 hits and 40 runs with a 10.81 ERA. When Borrego isn’t pitching, he’ll play shortstop. He was a solid hitter last season with a .289 batting average and eight RBIs.

Ornelas was 0-2 as a pitcher. He pitched 16 innings with 22 strikeouts and allowed 32 hits and 38 runs with an ERA of 11.76.

Ornelas trained as a catcher in the preseason, but will likely throw as well.

“Because Ornelas had a good start at receiver, it could free up Merritt to play first base,” Hoffman said. “We’ll see what Merritt looks like coming from basketball. It depends on how he transitions. It usually takes some time.

Other returning starters are second Mason Thomas, first baseman; senior Grant Bleibtreu, outfielder; senior Aaron McCarus, outfielder; junior Ethan King, second baseman; and senior Dallas Baker, outfielder and pitcher. Nick Galvan, a senior, will play shortstop when Borrego pitches and start at third base in other games.

Top newcomers are freshman Kenji Franklin, pitcher and utility player; freshman Michael

Ybarbo, pitcher and infielder; freshman Laude Reyes, pitcher and outfielder; freshman Arturo Rodriguez, pitcher and outfielder; and junior Declan Ward, pitcher and first baseman.

“We have a stable of freshmen who showed a lot of poise and ability,” Hoffman said. “These are guys who will see important innings on the mound for us…”

Hoffman is looking forward to seeing Franklin, a 6-5 southpaw who was one of the stars of the basketball team.

“I didn’t see him holding a baseball,” Hoffman said. “All I know about Kenji is word of mouth. I know he plays summer ball a lot. He’s a great southpaw. I hope he can come out and play an important role for us.

Hoffman is already predicting that Reyes, another southpaw, will throw a lot.

The freshmen all played club baseball, which gave them more opportunities to improve their skills.

“They’re fundamentally solid,” Hoffman said. “One of the big issues last year was dealing with routine plays. I know when the ball gets to them they’re going to deal with it.

Cedar Creek plays 15 out-of-district games, including those in the Cuero, Austin ISD, and Bastrop ISD tournaments, before District 18-5A begins.

“We want to build momentum in the district and try to be successful,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman has no specific goals in the district other than to improve on last year.

“We’re in a very competitive district,” he said, naming Hendrickson, Pflugerville, Connally and Elgin. “Everyone is able to re-equip fairly quickly. We have young guys that we are going to have to do it with.

Cedar Creek, which last qualified in the playoffs in 2019, opens its season at Lockhart on Feb. 21, Hoffman said.