BENTONVILLE (KFSM)--"We don’t really have that megastar. We’ve got some solid ballplayers, absolutely and some guys who can develop into megastars. But right now we’re just a team that scraps it out man. Just grind it out every day."
That's the easiest way to describe Bentonville baseball, and the highest compliment from head coach Todd Abbott.
"We’ve got a scrappy group man, and these guys play so well together. They’ve got a great energy, they feed off of each other," added Abbott. "To start off 4-0, it’s a great place to be."
Bentonville (11-3 overall) remained perfect in 6A-West play after sweeping defending state champion Har-Ber and perennial contender Van Buren, outscoring its opponents 25-11 over that quartet of games.
"We got guys one through nine that can just stroke the ball," senior Karson Coffee said. "Hit hard. And that’s what we’re trying to do, just go up there and hit it on the ground hard, try to make them make an error. That’s our approach."
"We all have a good team chemistry, and that’s the biggest thing in baseball," agreed junior Sam Golden. "It’s all about being together and not one player can ever win a game. Everyone’s gotta be working together, you know we come out every day and work our butts off."
The main focus in the offseason was mental strength, as the Tiger seniors pushed underclassmen to get better both on the field and in the weight room.
"They know that, hey, let’s control the controllables and not worry about a call on the field or a guy making a great play or whatever it is," said Abbott. "Let’s be ready for the next pitch and let’s give ourselves a chance on this next pitch."
"Baseball’s a game of mental strength, so we take that mentality, we never give up. Put it together at the end and win games," Golden said.
Bentonville's next conference series comes against Rogers Heritage on April 1 and 2.