PORT NECHES — Port Neches-Groves baseball coach Scott Carter hasn’t had a roster change like this season’s team in nearly 30 years.
The Indians are bringing back a starter from the 2021 team and will only have about three seniors in the roster.
“It’s not often that you have a complete turnover,” Carter said. “Without a few key injuries, the turnover wouldn’t have been quite as great, but that’s the way it is. We’ve been fine for a while. One thing about it, I don’t have to worry about our kids working hard.”
The only familiar face for fans will be in the infield.
“It’s amazing how new they are,” Carter said of the faces on the diamond. “We only have one returning defender for varsity. Landon Guarnere returns at shortstop. He will be the only one with experience on the field. We also have Caleb Faulk who is a senior. He was a DH last year because he had surgery, so he didn’t play defense. A lot will change.”
Last year’s senior-heavy team advanced to the third round of the playoffs before losing to the top-ranked Friendswood Mustangs. Carter said his team is busy.
“I’m proud of how the kids work,” he said. “It’s still early. We have a lot to do. We still have to figure out who will be where and put the pieces together. I like the way they work. It’s PNG. They have great chemistry. We have good families and a great administration that takes care of our program. We just have something to do.”
Carter said that one of the most important battles is behind the plate.
“We thought Chase Johnson would come back as a catcher, but he got injured during football season and needed surgery, so he’s going to be out for the year,” Carter said. “We’re missing a catcher. We have two sophomores and one junior fighting behind the plate. We are excited to see what will happen there.”
Despite the roster overhaul, Carter said his team had high expectations.
“We still set team goals,” he said. “We’re going to talk about winning our first ball game. If we don’t win the first one, we will try to win the next one. We feel we have this opportunity. We want to win the circle. We don’t want to be two, three or four. But if we don’t win the district, our next goal is to get to the playoffs.”
Despite decades of coaching experience, Carter said this season won’t be his last dance.
“I’m not ready to stop,” he said. “I love what I do and I will continue to do what I do. A lot of people have been talking about me retiring and joking about it because I’m one of the older guys around. I’m not interested in getting out of the game yet.”
