Coming into this season, the Liberty Patriots baseball team had more holes than a sponge to fill, just based off graduating players. From the 2024 roster, 13 seniors graduated, meaning first year Head Coach Zach Beatty had some work to do.

In the Patriots’ first game under Beatty, they downed the Kentridge Chargers 8-3 on March 13 at Hogan Park. His first win as Liberty’s skipper came with a little extra meaning, as Beatty graduated from Kentridge and had coached with current Kentridge Coach Sheldon Stober.

“Personally, it means a lot to me. I went to Kentridge and coached with those guys. So it means a lot to me. The guys just played super good,” Beatty said.

Left fielder Lukas Fluegge kicked off the game with a line drive single to right field, the first of three hits for him on the afternoon. Having early offense that is disciplined and mature is exactly what Beatty is looking for.

Fluegge was followed by a pair of singles that led to a three-run top of the first inning for the Patriots. A robust offensive approach fueled early success for Liberty, giving one of the few returning players, Ryan Boehm, a nice cushion as he took the mound for the Patriots.

“We just had quality at-bats all around. A bunch of hard-hit balls that they made good plays on. It could not have gone better for us at the plate approach wise,” Beatty said.

Boehm is the ace for the Patriots this season, and the big southpaw has the potential to carry Liberty in a difficult 3A KingCo league.

“This is his third year on varsity. He’s pitched important games and important innings the last couple years. He has a quiet confidence to him. He’s not a vocal leader. But he shows up every day does his work, and he works hard,” Beatty said.

In his first four innings of work this season, Boehm threw 59 pitches allowing three hits, two earned runs and struck out four.

His only struggle came in the fourth inning where he walked the first two batters who eventually came around to score. But for the majority of his outing, he exuded confidence and pitched with a presence for Liberty. His defense felt that confidence: “There is just a lot of trust. I know there is going to be a lot of K’s out there. It is really fun to see him work and dice some kids up,” Fluegge said.

Liberty entered the top of the fifth up by just a single run with Kentridge building momentum. But with two outs, Sam Bell was walked to load the bases, then the hail came.

In the middle of the fifth, Hogan Park got pelted with Dipping Dot-sized hail balls to cause a delay. Not long after the hailstorm, there was a lightning strike, which pushed the restart back further. But once play resumed, Griffin Ellsworth singled to plate Payne Heeter and Jackson Bell, before Fluegge had the game altering hit.

“Griffin is a sophomore and hasn’t had varsity experience before. For him to get that hit up the middle, it broke the game open. For us, he’s our player of the game. He had the big hit when we needed it the most,” Beatty said.

With runners on second and third, Fluegge tripled to right field, giving Liberty 7-3 lead.

“He’s not a traditional leadoff hitter. He gets on base and is a smart base runner more than he’s a fast base runner. He hits the ball hard and runs the bases well. That’s what you want out of your leadoff batter,” Beatty said.

Due to the delay and restart, Boehm handed the baton to fellow lefty Konner Erickson. Erickson finished the game going 3.0 innings, allowing two hits and a single earned run and struck out four.

“We had a couple bulldogs on the mound today,” Beatty said.

In the sixth, the two sides both traded a single run, with Liberty scoring on a Sam Bell RBI fielder’s choice. Bell, Ellsworth and Fluegge all had two runs batted in to start their 2025 campaign. Seven out of nine starters for the Patriots recorded at least one base hit, but all nine reached base.

“With a new team, it is great to see everyone pulling through. This was not one guy’s win, it was the whole team’s win,” Fluegge said.

Working with a new coach, with so much unknown in regard to the roster and playing time, could be cause for concern. But Liberty has shot out of a cannon, full of energy and confidence for whatever lies ahead this season, thanks to the work put in by players and coaches.

“This coaching staff has been amazing. It is a really good coaching staff with a lot of knowledge. They really put a lot of work in, it’s been great,” Fluegge said.

Lukas Fluegge eyes the pitcher against Kentridge. Ben Ray / The Reporter