The opening inning of the Park City High School baseball team’s game on Monday did not exactly go how the Miners drew it up.
They couldn’t pitch well and committed several errors. By the time the first inning came to an end, they trailed 8-0. While Park City’s comeback bid came up short, it did outscore Grantsville 5-3 over the next six innings in the 11-5 loss.
Park City’s improvement from the beginning of the game to winning the last six innings is a microcosm of what summer baseball is all about for the Miners.
“We came back, we competed, we didn’t just give in, and we actually won the next six innings,” said Matt Strader, who is coaching the summer squad. “So I look at that for our summer team, that’s the type of success that I like to build on.”
Following a 9-19 season during the school year, Park City is looking to use this summer to assess what went wrong and make the necessary improvements. Strader mentioned that the coaches are always available whenever players want some extra practice, but it’s up to the players to make the most of their summer.
“They’re not just going to get better coming out three days a week playing summer games,” Strader said. “They’ve got to put in the extra time if they really want to get better as well, and the coaches are always here for them if they want that.”
An average week for Park City’s summer baseball program involves two or three games, and players are usually putting in time in the weight room or the batting cage when they’re not playing. Strader’s goal is for them to have an hour of something baseball related per day. Players will also be involved with private or group lessons or travel teams during the summer to keep them in baseball shape.
In addition to a tough season in the spring, the Miners also lost seven seniors, so this summer presents a golden opportunity for Park City’s younger players to improve ahead of next season. Park City’s coaching staff also has a strong relationship with local youth coaches so that kids can move up to the high school program with minimal adjustments.
“I think we’re in a really good spot,” Strader said. “I like our kids that are committed this summer to getting better. I like the younger groups coming up, so I think it’s all positive moving forward.”
As the summer rolls on, the emphasis will still be on improving as much as possible, regardless of the results on the scoreboard.
“Summer ball for us is really just more of a development, have fun, play games,” Strader said. “We don’t have structured practices, we’re more about we’re going to play games, we’re going to learn, get better, have fun.”