Community R-6 baseball had a rare deep run in the postseason last year.

Prior to advancing to the state Final Four last season, the Trojans had only one other Final Four appearance in 2001. However, this year’s Trojans have been looking good so far to head coach Joel Krato and he believes another deep run is possible.

“Fall (season) wasn’t as good as we wanted to be, coming off a Final Four run, and you lose a couple good pieces in all-state players,” Krato said. “We crushed the weight room this offseason. Crushed it. We had a lot of kids putting in extra work on their own time because we are not happy with how it went. Honestly, I know we had quite the run last year, but I think this team also could be one of those teams that is dangerous come postseason.”

Community finished 5-6 during its fall season, playing top-tier talent from across Class 1 and 2. It had to be done without all-state players Gavin Allen and Ayden Meranda, who are both part of college programs after graduating.

Krato said he noticed how the Trojans have been hitting and throwing the ball harder and have been faster since the fall season. As the spring season has drawn closer, their intensity seems to be on a “whole other level,” including lifting on Thanksgiving morning.

One of those examples is with Drake Welch, who will slot in as the team’s No. 2 pitcher behind the returning all-state pitcher and shortstop Mason Carroll – 1.05 ERA and .314 batting average along with 24 RBI a season ago. Welch has gained about 10 miles per hour since the fall and could make the Trojans dangerous with another formidable one-two punch on the mound.

“His big thing is coming out and throwing strikes and staying confident,” Krato said. “If Drake Welch can be our No. 2, we’re going to be really freakin’ dangerous.”

Krato said Mason and Cooper Rohan can both fill up the strike zone, and Eli Johnson can pitch. Johnson won’t have to worry about saving his arm for catching since Lane Carter will be behind the plate this season.

Johnson did a great behind the plate a year ago, Krato said, but Carter is also a really good receiver and Johnson is so athletic that the Trojans benefit by him playing in the infield. Johnson gives them another bat along with Carroll with home-run power and just another bat returning from the starting lineup as is the case with first baseman Brant Cope and Mason Rohan.

“It allows for a kid like Lane to play,” Krato said. “Eli’s probably our second-best athlete, if not our best athlete. Losing Gavin and losing Ayden, it helps plug holes we were missing in the field.”

Krato said Community seems like a new team “across the board” with freshmen like Lance Wohlbold and Caden Thomas expecting to play third base and left field and sophomore Cooper Rohan expecting to be somewhere. But, even if the kids are different, Krato said the ways Community can win games hasn’t changed.

During their postseason run, whenever Krato or the Trojans wanted to put down a bunt, they usually were successful and took every opportunity to take the extra base. Krato said even his all-stater Carroll volunteered to lay down a bunt even though his four home runs are the most for any kid in Krato’s tenure. The Trojans aren’t a one-dimensional team that can only win one way.

“We have so many different ways we can beat you,” Krato said. “You can throw Mason Carroll on the mound and he can throw a shutout, defensively we should be able to make plays, offensively we can swing the bats almost better than any team I’ve had here and we play the small-ball really well.”

Krato said his kids have the good baseball IQ to recognize the proper actions to take a situation like with the aforementioned Carroll example of him wanting to bunt for not seeing the ball well at that specific moment.

Community still wants to “play for May” and believes that the most important thing for the team is to be at its best for postseason.

“The only games that matter is the postseason,” Krato said. “We spend the entire season trying to get ready for when it matters. At the end of the day, who cares if we lose our first 10 games of the year? The only game that matters, when it comes to the postseason, is the game we’re playing in the postseason.”