South Jordan • Distance muffles a pop song that has drifted over from the loudspeakers in the stadium, where a soccer game is about to start. So over here on the diamond the sounds of spring are clear.
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The crack of bats. The smack of a baseball hitting leather.
It is cold and gray on a recent afternoon in early March. The trees behind the batter’s eye in centerfield are still naked, and there are groans and curses over early season mistakes.
"You ready?" a coach calls out to a kid on the mound with blond hair that flips out from underneath his blue cap.
Bingham High School hurler Brennon Lunds nods in affirmation.
Catcher Jake Druce and third baseman Chase Tavonatti are ready, too. A winter removed from a disappointing exit in last year’s playoffs, the trio of seniors is ready to forget about the past.
"I feel like we bounced back," Lund said. "We’re ready for this season."
Bingham lost its best player from last year. Pitcher Brady Lail was drafted by the New York Yankees. And yet, somehow, the Miners might be in for an even better season this spring.
"Losing Brady is of course bad because he was a dominant pitcher," Tavonatti said. "But we have so many seniors this year, I don’t think it will be a problem."
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"[Lail] told us this year we need to get it," Lund added.
Bingham, a storied baseball program that has claimed 20 state titles in its history, is ranked as the No. 58 team in the country by MaxPreps.com. One reason: the Miners return 11 letterman.
"All of our seniors have been playing together since we were about 8," Tavonatti said. "That’s why we play together so well. That’s where a lot of our success comes from."
Tavonatti, who will also see plenty of time on the mound, added: "We know that we can rely on everyone. We all worked really hard during the offseason, and we know we’re capable of a lot of things this year. Our hard work, I think, will pay off."
Bingham won the USA Classic in Tennessee last season, but lost a heartbreaker in the Utah Class 5A playoffs. With Lail on the mound, perfect through four innings and pitching a one-hitter through five, Taylorsville scored five runs in the sixth and held on to win the semifinal matchup 5-4.
But the Miners aren’t ready to talk about avenging that loss just yet. Nor have they shifted their attention to the National High School Invitational later this month in North Carolina.
"Our main focus is the next 200 feet," Druce said, "what’s right in front of us. And we don’t let any of the other things get in our way."
afalk@sltrib.com
Twitter: @aaronfalk
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