Sunshine has looked the part in its return to Baseball Victoria summer league division 1.
The newly promoted Eagles have impressed with a 3-1 record from four games back in the top flight.
The Eagles made it consecutive wins for the first time this season on Saturday when they edged out Newport Rams 7-4 in an enthralling contest at Barclay Reserve.
While thrilled with his team’s start, Sunshine player-coach Jared Van Hoon warns it will get stronger.
“I’m extremely happy with the first four games,” Van Hoon said.
“A lot of people don’t know, but we’ve actually been down on numbers, missing some guys due to injury or just kind of getting a late start.
“Fortunately, the guys we’ve had have battled well and our record shows that.
“A lot of the guys we’ve been counting on are guys that don’t have a lot of ones experience and the fact they’ve been getting in early and gaining that experience is only going to help their progression.
“It’s a huge plus knowing we can rely on them later in the season if need be.”
Sunshine’s pitching was rock solid all day.
Starter Tayler Rowe laid the foundations for the Eagles, continuing his rich vein of form.
“He was the dude for us last year and he’s been the dude for us this year,” Van Hoon
said.
“He’s pitched all four games and he’s given us the chance to win every game, so the contribution he’s giving to the team is huge.
“An offence feeds off pitching, so when we’ve got a guy like Tayler coming out there every day, throwing strikes and challenging pitches and getting outs, it only helps our offence to go out there and put up runs.”
Jeremy Young was superb in relief before Van Hoon closed out the game.
Sunshine’s batting line-up had multiple contributors, but Jordan Young’s three hits were crucial.
Van Hoon and catcher Jamie Young were the other standouts with two hits apiece.
“We had timely hitting all round,” Van Hoon said.
Sunshine’s ability to share the workload
and execute in all facets of the game has
been the keys to its early success so far this season.
The Eagles are fighting out every game from the first pitch to the last.
“We just grind it out, whether that’s competing at the dish, competing in the field and on the mound,” Van Hoon said.
Sunshine will be striving for another even performance when it travels to face the Geelong Baycats on Saturday.
