ITG Next spoke with North Florida Christian baseball head coach Mike Posey about the Eagles’ impressive 2022 season, what he will miss most about this group, and what’s ahead for the 2023 campaign.
Q: Congrats on a great season, Coach. What are your thoughts on what this North Florida Christian team accomplished in 2022?
A: We graduated seven starters last year, and we were very young this year, starting 5-6 sophomores, so going into the season we didn’t know what to expect. We knew we were very athletic, but needed more time to gel. We also have a lot of multiple-sport athletes, so we were not sure how they would mature. In addition we had two new assistant coaches.
We accomplished more than everyone expected. Our goal was to win 20, win district, and get to the regional final and see what happens. This team was very competitive and had a lot of grit. Our coaching staff did a great job preparing them every day. We weren’t perfect, but the growth from the beginning of the season to the end was amazing.
Q: What do you think you will miss most about this 2022 team overall?
A: The team chemistry was really good. It was fun to go to practice every day. The kids and coaches enjoyed playing.
Q: Your team was led by two senior pitchers in Tucker Narkinsky and Aidan Butler. Just how big of an impact did those two have on this Eagles team, and what does this senior class mean to this program overall?
A: Our seniors did a great job. Tucker and Aiden were awesome for us on the mound, and TJ Martin was a big part of what we accomplished. He brought energy every day, was ready to fill any role we asked him, and was always encouraging others. Aiden also came through for us during the playoffs at the plate. He didn’t have any at-bats during the regular season but battled in the playoffs and had some big hits. We’ll miss all three of our seniors.
Q: Looking ahead to next season, this Eagles team will return multiple key names from this year’s team. What are your thoughts on what this North Florida Christian team could accomplish in 2023?
A: We’ll be experienced and tested for sure. We can’t play the underdog role. We can’t get complacent. We’ll need some of our young arms to step up, but if we bring the energy, passion and grit each day that we saw this year, we should have a successful season.
