Start of the 2023 Baseball Season

Start+of+the+2023+Baseball+Season

Leigha James, Sports contributor

Along with the start of a new year, also comes spring sports. One of these sports is baseball. Baseball is a huge part of Iowa’s culture, and it is taken seriously. I spoke with Clear Creek Amana High School’s new head coach, Bryan McCray, and here is what he had to say about the upcoming 2023 baseball season.

In an interview with Coach McCray. I asked him how he feels about being the head coach at a new school.  McCray responded with, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead this group of players. CCA has a very strong baseball culture established and I am very excited to build upon that.” As someone who loves sports, I think it is so great to have someone who is very excited and dedicated to our school, because not only does McCray represent the baseball team, he is also representing the school. Him having such a positive attitude towards coaching is exactly what CCA Baseball needs. 

As the conversation continued, McCray shared about his move to CCA. McCray shared, “If I did not believe that, then I would not be here. I had a great experience at my last school, but I needed to do what was best for my family. Being closer to home after the birth of my first child was a necessary change. It is great being able to feel like more a part of the community and being able to be a bit more visible to everyone as well,”. Not only is McCray dedicated to the school and team, but also to his family. I’m sure most people know that moving schools is a bog move, but that is a sacrifice he was willing to make.

Finally, McCray explained how he thinks he can improve the baseball program at CCA. McCray said, “My number one priority is development. You cannot control the talent you are given, but you can darn sure improve what you have been given, and I believe that is my strong suit. In our program, we will have a plan of improvement, and our players have already done a great job showing the growth mindset necessary to focus on development. Our coaches are also brought in with our plan of improvement, and they will do a great job of implementing that plan with each of their respective teams, whether that be L2, L3, or varsity. We have high expectations for our program, and have no doubt that we can reach them.”

CCA is excited to see what Coach Bryan McCray does with this season’s baseball team!