Cape baseball mission: Get back to the show

The hardball class of 2018 was in the show when they were freshmen in 2015. They were the first Cape team to play in a state final with a freshman on the mound in Zack Gelof and another in Austin Elliott in center field.

That year, the Vikings lost to Appoquinimink 10-2, a team coached by Billy Cunningham, a Lewes guy who played for coach Ben Evick at Cape Henlopen.

In 2016, Cape beat Sallies at home 2-1 to open the tournament behind a complete game, seven-strikeout performance by David Erickson, who was also 2-for-3 with an RBI double at the plate. The Vikings lost to Saint Mark’s in the next round.

Last season, Cape lost to Conrad at Frawley Stadium 2-1, as the Raiders scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Cape has a strong senior class this season with Gelof, Elliott, Erickson, Zach Savage, Zach Dale, Reese White and Sam Johnson.

“There is no pressure to win a state title, but these are players with high expectations who have played a lot of baseball and been successful,” said coach Ben Evick. “There are a bunch of good baseball teams in our conference and upstate. Sure, we have some players signed to Division I schools and a few who may get drafted in the spring, but we have 18 regular-season games to play before we even get to the postseason.”

The Vikings are scheduled for a scrimmage at Sussex Central at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 10, versus Indian River, Sussex Central and Saint Mark’s.