Photo Provided Pictured is the 2019 Valley High School baseball team.

The Valley Lumberjacks have a new sheriff in town as Sonny Conley has stepped up to keep the Lumberjack Baseball team from folding. He has 13 players to work with.

This year’s team is basically young with only four seniors who weren’t even on the team last season – George Brown, Kenneth Higginbotham and Gavin Morris. These four will lead the way with Brown and three-year junior letterman Abe Satterfield being the leaders.

Most area baseball teams have more than 30 games scheduled, but Valley only has only 20 in place. With rain-outs, they could be playing even less to get their young team some necessary playing time, unless they schedule more.

With most teams playing almost everyday, they have pitching problems due to the pitching rules.

Those rules hold Class A teams with low numbers in hostage. The Lumberjacks won’t be as hand-cuffed as most small Class A schools, and they look to have six capable players to keep them in good shape on the mound.

Heading the pitching staff will be Satterfield, while Higginbotham, Morris, Brown, Levi Anderson and Logan Bassett will all get their share of innings too.

Lost from graduation are Ethan Greathouse, Tyler Kocher, Ty Freed, John Moore and Caden Palmer, with Greathouse being the biggest loss on the mound and Kocher behind the plate. Freed was Mr. Steady in the outfield and at the plate, while Palmer – holding down first – and Moore – in the outfield as well as the mound – will all be missed.

Satterfield will take over the reigns on the mound, while Bassett will take over the catching duties. But, when Bassett goes to the mound, Satterfield will take his place behind the plate. When Brown comes in to pitch, Satterfield will hold down his hot-corner.

With capable players filling in at ever spot in the line-up, it’s a nice problem for Coach Conley to have.

The remaining line-up looks to be Jakeb Hall at first, Morris at second and Higginbotham at short. Anderson will handle center-field, Tommy Shannon in left, while Gunner Stillwagoner, Isaac Campbell, Beau Wyatt, Matthew Fordyce and Austin Barr will all compete at right field.

The Lumberjacks were scheduled to have three games before this preview if the weather cooperates – against Tyler, Paden City and River.

They will then host Frontier today at 5 5 p.m. before heading to Cameron Thursday at 5 p.m., and Beallsville on Saturday at noon.