Hoyt undoubtedly is one of Class 4A’s top hitters, but the designated hitter label simply doesn’t fit. That’s because Hoyt is also the Raptors’ best center fielder and arguably their finest pitcher. A return trip to the outfield soon could be coming, but don’t expect to see the senior on the mound anytime soon.
"Over the summer, I hurt the ligament in my elbow and I’m just rehabbing it," Hoyt said. "I had an MRI a couple weeks ago and they’re not really sure what they’re going to do yet. As of now, I’m progressing my way back to pitching, but as far as returning this season, probably not."
At least the arm woes haven’t affected his hitting. Hoyt clubbed a run-scoring double as part of a 2-for-3 performance against another fine pitcher, Mountain View’s Derek Neeper, as the Raptors improved to 2-0 with a win against the highly-touted Mountain Lions. While Hoyt knows his bat will keep him in the lineup, everything else is a wait-and-see process.
"Everything depends on how my arm feels in the outfield," Hoyt said. "I haven’t really tried that yet. I’m looking forward to it, but if I have to DH, I’ll just DH."
The other Birdman?
He launched 14 home runs last season, and he was only a sophomore. In an immediate effort to show it was no fluke, Grandview’s Greg Bird clubbed another in the Wolves’ first game, a 7-4 win against ThunderRidge. But this wasn’t any run-of-the-mill shot. It was at Coors Field, where the teams met Thursday.
Bird has a seemingly limitless ceiling, but the problem is, someone in the Denver area already has taken his nickname. That would be Denver Nuggets center Chris Andersen, who goes by "Birdman."
Rest assured, though: If Bird’s productivity continues, the "Bird is the word" chant will be as over-hashed at Grandview as the same phrase on the infamous Family Guy episode in which Peter Griffin becomes enamored with the duly named track by The Trashmen.
Heading South (or West)
Many teams let out a smirk as the snow came down Friday. They knew they soon would be heading for warmer climates.
With spring break this week for many schools, teams are headed out of state for tournaments. A large number of those are in Arizona and California. Several teams, too, will remain in state and take their chances with the haphazard spring conditions.
A few in-state games to check out this week: Faith Christian at Eaton (Tuesday) in a matchup of 3A powers and Cherry Creek at Regis Jesuit (Friday) in a battle of 5A stalwarts.
Numbers game
3 – pitching wins already for George Washington sophomore Tony Yacovetta, a total that leads 5A. Included was a 10-inning performance Wednesday in a 2-1 win against Lincoln. Yacovetta allowed only six hits while striking out 11.
