Princeton senior James McGill unleashes a pitch during last Saturday’s home game against Garland. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media

By David Wolman

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The prevailing thought that Princeton head baseball coach Leroy Mansanles had for his Panthers as they prepared for their first season in Class 6A and first in District 6-6A is to control what you can control. 

Even with the likes of Allen, McKinney Boyd and Prosper in their new district – all three teams made it to at least the second round of the playoffs last season, with Prosper advancing one round further (regional quarterfinals) – Mansanales said his players have rarely brought up the topic of competing in 6A. After all, the Panthers played in the same district as defending 5A state runner-up Lovejoy in each of the last four seasons.

“I’ve coached in Odessa and at Creekview when they were in 6A. We don’t stress about it that much,” he said. “We know the competition is going to be good. They’re good clubs and good programs. But a ground ball is a ground ball, and a fly ball is a fly ball. We stay away from that and talk about the game of baseball.”

And as Princeton looks to improve on a 7-18-1 overall record from a year ago, which included a 0-10 mark in district play, versatility is one reason for optimism for a potential turnaround.

Sophomore Felix Martinez is the best example of Princeton’s versatility as he can play shortstop, third base, second base and pitcher. 

Martinez is one of three returning full-time position players for the Panthers, along with lead-off batter/senior shortstop Caleb Spurgin, who will also be a key cog in Princeton’s pitching rotation, and junior catcher/right fielder Marlon Alvarado. 

Another junior Jordan Mosley, who also stars in football and basketball at Princeton, will patrol center field. 

Junior second baseman Reed Jones, who transferred to Princeton last year, is expected to play a key role for the Panthers’ infield. 

Senior Landon Welborn won’t pitch this season but is expected to receive playing time at first base.

“This group is really close,” Mansanales said. “It’s a good clubhouse vibe right now. We have guys that do a lot of things well. They’re very versatile. They can play multiple positions. It’s a very tight-knit group. They’re rooting for the team instead of themselves.”

One area that Princeton would like to improve is pitching. 

Mansanales said that his Panthers gave up too many walks last season and had other times when opposing batters worked a full count. 

Through three scrimmages against Red Oak, Frisco Emerson and Creekview, the head coach for Princeton said that his pitchers have done a great job of keeping their pitch count to a minimum. The Panthers will lean on seniors James McGill and Lucas Pate, and junior Jaxson Watjen to lead the pitching staff.

“They did a really good job of throwing strikes during our scrimmages,” Mansanales said. “We were averaging 13 pitches per inning. The goal is to get to nine per inning. We’re not going to be a power-pitching team. We’re going to try and throw strikes and left the defense back them up.”

Offensively, Mansanales said that the strength of his lineup is their ability to move runners with contact. 

“We will probably always be station to station,” he said. “We do have power guys, but our park is hard to hit in too. We really preach on moving runners over, butting. The kids buy into it, and they love it.”