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Show Optimism detected as preparations for SUSG baseball campaign gets underway Optimism with an "if" stirred stir-red in is the feeling surround-1 ing the 1971 Southern Utah State College baseball prospects. pro-spects. Coach Cleo Petty, never overly ov-erly optimistic, has been beaming and pacing impatiently impat-iently all winter. His ball players have meanwhile been taking advantage of the unseasonably un-seasonably good weather. "It's like any other year," Petty explains, "it all depends on the pitching. We were pretty pret-ty well fixed, but we've lost a couple who may have been starters." One boy, West High's Kirk Harmon, left for an LDS mission. Even without a wealth of lettermen, Petty figures he has some of SUSCs better talent tal-ent In recent years. Among the proven veterans iback from last year's area champions (third place in the I four-team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference playoffs) are pitchers Fred Esplin, Roy Ferguson and Curtis Hale. Also back are smooth fielding field-ing Jon Hoover (third base), tiny (but dependable) Tim Braithwaite (outfield) and slugging Tex Anthony (shortstop). (short-stop). Anthony, also a good man with the glove, has led the T-Birds In home runs each of the last two seasons. He has proved himself as a solid hitter, solid enough to be offered of-fered a pro jotj already in his T-Bird career. Other proven vets back are infielders Mike Orgrin, Russ Peterson and Russ Chester. 'We also have a batch of . new players who carry pretty ' good credentials," Petty said. |