Back in March during baseball tryouts, head coach Otis Seals was tasked with making a really tough choice that could alter a season. Should he put 14 year-old Markus Chandler on the varsity team or put him on junior varsity to get experience.
Coach Seals wrestled with the decision, going back and forth questioning if varsity was the best thing for Chandler. He ultimately chose to start the freshman’s season on varsity. Looking back the decision paid off really well, but it’s one moment at the start of the season Seals knew he made the right choice. Back in mid-March, Chandler is in the box facing Nebraska commit Brody Jindra.
“I remember a specific at bat against roadie Jindra at Millard South early in the season and that was one of Marcus’s early starts,” Seals said. “I remember he got Marcus down 0-2, and really there was a couple of pitches there that Marcus wasn’t close on. I kind of thought this is feet to the fire moment here. Freshmen on varsity vs division one commit. And so then Brody tried to throw him down and in a slider, which Marcus was able to stay on the inside seam and drive it down the right field line for a single and in that moment, I knew Marcus was gonna be just fine.”
In hindsight, the decision couldn’t have been any better. Chandler isn’t just a role player on the varsity squad, but rather one of the best on the diamond. Chandler has played 27 of 29 games in which he bounced around the infield, playing the majority of his time at second base and the shortstop position. The freshman has only six errors on the season. He also plays a vital role in the Warriors pitching staff, where he spends most of the time closing for the Warriors. Chandler has appeared in 10 games and has a record of 1-0. He has a 3.00 earned run average in his 21 innings pitched. He also has a whopping 26 strikeouts to just eight walks. He believes all the success stems from offseason work.
“I’m gonna try and do as much as I can,” Chandler said. “I’m only a freshman. I’ve four years left. You know, I know I’ve made an impact in a way. All I could do is keep trying to keep trying to keep the energy up in the dugout and just keep doing what I’m doing. I grind all year round, offseason work. My dad helps me with a lot of stuff, hitting after school every day in the offseason, doing agility work in the gym every day.”
The thing that coach Seals is most impressed with isn’t the performance on the field, but rather the mental strength by Chandler. He has held strong through a varsity season with little to no struggle. At a young age of 14 Chandler has handled the pressure of being a standout player on the Warriors team.
“Marcus is really young and that’s what maybe is most impressive is that he’s able to handle the pressures of a varsity season and carry himself the way that he does,” Seals said. “I think that part of that is, Marcus is a really good baseball player, but he’s also a really good kid. I think that that’s really important too, is he’s a good person. And you can tell that his parents have done a great job with him, his youth coaches did a great job with him.”
Chandler and the Warriors will head into district play with the season and a bid to state on the line. The Warriors are ranked the two seed in the A-1 District. They will take on Kearney, who enters with a record of 15-13. They will face the Bearcats on Saturday, May 4 at Den Hartog Field in Lincoln.
