Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Senior Allen Kane is back with the Hoopa Warriors this season.

By Ray Hamill — After limited time on the practice field for the last month because of the weather, the Hoopa Warriors will officially begin a new era with a busy few days next week.

First-year head coach Boyd Ferris and his players will play five games in five days, opening with a single game at Del Norte on Tuesday.

The Hoopa boys will also host Hayfork in a doubleheader on Wednesday, before traveling to Fortuna for a doubleheader next Saturday.

But there is plenty of optimism surrounding the program this spring, with a large roster of players and a JV team for the first time in several years.

“We want to build the program,” the new coach said. “And I was very pleased to see that many freshmen come out. We want to keep as many people as possible.”

This year’s team features a sizable class of eight or nine freshmen, according to Ferris, but will rely heavily on a core group of returning players, including seniors Brian Richards, Allen Kane, Keyton Gulley and Cher-geesh Mace, all of whom are expected to play key roles in the coming months.

Richards and Kane will anchor the pitching staff, along with talented junior Barret Myers, while Ferris is still looking at some of the younger players to add some depth to the staff.

“I’m just hoping we have enough pitchers to get through the next five games,” the coach said with a chuckle, before adding “With some of the younger kids, we’ll be looking to get some innings out of them.”

That includes talented sophomores Owen Smith and Delmer Ferris, the latter of whom showed plenty of promise as a freshman last year.

Smith will bring some necessary versatility to the lineup and could fill in at a variety of positions, including middle infield, the outfield, behind the plate and on the hill, while Delmer Ferris will play third base when he’s not on the mound.

But while the younger players are showing plenty of promise, the head coach and assistant Tyler Mitchell will rely on the experienced players to lead the way, as the seniors look to close out their high school career with a bang.

Delmer Ferris

Kane led the Warriors at the plate last year with a .450 batting average, and also hit a team-best 13 doubles to go with 21 RBIs, while Richards batted .349 with seven doubles, three triples and a home run.

Myers had a breakout season during his sophomore campaign a year ago, averaging .263, and his coaches will be hoping he can have an even bigger impact this year.

Gulley will provide some leadership at left field, while junior Kaydon Matilton will see time at second base and also is expected to make some big contributions.

Another senior, Christian Hostler, is also expected to play a big role, as is Torin Billings, a talented multi-sport athlete who is playing baseball for the first time in several years after a strong finish to the basketball season.

Both the varsity and JV teams got to scrimmage at Arcata last week and both squads enjoyed some good moments, especially the young players on Friday.

“If (Friday) was any indication of what the bats can do, the young kids are going to hit the heck out of the ball,” Boyd Ferris said. 

“I think with this group of players, we’re looking to build some team camaraderie and instill some hard work and discipline. And have fun.”

Brian Richards