(Bedford) -- The Bedford baseball team is opening their postseason with the same team they opened their regular season. However, the Bulldogs are a much different team this time around.
Coach Jason Bucher's squad entered the season as a young bunch under a first-year head coach. But the Bulldogs have found a rhythm lately with back-to-back wins over Audubon and Stanton and four wins in their last six contests.
"I think we've come a long way," Bucher said. "The kids are buying into what we are doing at practice. Our motto this year has been 'I can. I will. I must. I believe.' I feel like they're buying into that. The confidence is good for us going into the end of the season."
Bedford had to wait until June 7th for their first win, but they've since rattled off seven dubs to bring their season record to 7-14.
"I like our chances every night," Bucher said. "At the beginning of the season, we had one bad inning, and things snowballed out of control. Now, we flush things out and prevent big innings."
Coach Bucher has a rather young team on his hand -- with only three seniors -- but he knows the talent is there.
"I coached these guys through middle school," he said. "There's a lot of talent. It's just getting them to buy in and believe in themselves. They've put in a lot of work and have good attitudes. A lot of times, they are getting extra cuts after practice. They want to get better, and it's starting to show towards the end of the season."
Shay Purdy (.342/.569/.500) paces the offensive brigade while Izaac Dukes (.333/.500/.333), Micah Nally (.310/.429/.414), Silas Walston (.290/.375/.484), Noah Johnson (.277/.397/.362), Logan Bucher (.241/.397/.328), Brody King (.235/.437/.314), Tristen Cummings (.216/.310/.235) have contributed to the offense, too.
"Any given night, anybody one through nine can step up for us," Coach Bucher said. "We do a good job of playing team baseball."
Bucher says the senior leadership of Johnson, Logan Bucher and Gage Godsey have contributed to their recent surge.
"They've stepped up and been good leaders," he said. "If we struggle at the plate, we don't let it go out to the field."
Freshman Klemit Olney has emerged as a budding star on the mound. Olney has tossed a team-high 44 2/3 innings this season with a 2.51 ERA and 55 strikeouts.
"He's consistent around the zone and throws a lot of strikes," Bucher said. "And the kids behind him have been making plays, which helps keep his pitch count down."
The Bulldogs close their regular season on Thursday against Fremont-Mills. They open Class 1A District 14 action on Saturday evening at CAM. The Cougars and Bulldogs met on May 16th, with CAM getting the 10-0 victory. However, this is a much different Bedford team heading into the rematch.
"Baseball is a funny game," Bucher said. "You never know which way the ball will bounce. I've told the guys to believe because we can do anything we want if we put a complete game together. I think we can hang with anybody. I think it will be a much different game than the first one."
The Bulldogs are by no means calling their shot with an upset, but they feel as confident as they have all season.
"I like our chances on any night," Bucher said. "Our pitchers have to throw strikes and keep the ball around the plate. We have to be smart with what pitches we throw because they have some big hitters in their lineup. We have to have some timely hitting and play solid defense behind our hitters."
Ethan Hewett has the call of Class 1A District 14 action in Anita on Saturday night, beginning with Lenox/Mormon Trail and followed by Bedford/CAM. Saturday's games in Anita can be heard on the KMAX-Stream.
Check out the full interview with Coach Bucher below.
