In each of the past six seasons, the Olympus baseball team has tasted a region championship. Why should the Titans see this season going any differently? 

“We have won our region every year since 2018, so that has been a goal each season, and it will continue to be,” head coach Cortland Felts said.

Olympus is coming off a 22-3 season in which the Titans ran away with the Region 6 title with a 17-1 mark. The Titans were upset in the state tournament, however, by Woods Cross in the Super Regionals. 

The Titans split their first four games of this new season, defeating Tooele 10-6 on March 14 and Payson by the score of 3-1 on March 15. Olympus fell to Crimson Cliffs 7-2 on March 15 and to Copper Hills by the count of 12-5 on March 16. Games two, three and four were part of the Mustang Invitational tournament in St. George. 

Felts is impressed with the way his players are performing from the plate but hopes the pitching can make some strides. 

“We certainly have some of the best hitters in the state on our team, but how our pitching comes together will be the key to our success this year,” he said. 

Felts loves what veterans Luke Taylor, Jason Fox and Keaton Stinson bring to the team as hitters. Some newcomers are making an impact as well. The Titans also bring some other important attributes to the field. 

“I think this is one of the best defensive team we have had since I have been here,” Felts said. “We always take pride in running the bases, and I think we are as good as anyone in the state in that category.”

Last year’s 22-win team lost some firepower, as Felts had to replace 15 seniors from that group. Still, with Taylor, a catcher who has committed to play at the next level at USC, and Fox, a senior shortstop, Olympus boasts two of the state’s top players. Stinson is also one to watch. The senior outfielder will play at Salt Lake Community College next season. There’s also senior outfielder Chase Moseley, who had three RBIs and a double through the first four games. 

Outside of those players, Olympus has a lot of new faces. 

“We have a bunch of talented sophomores that are looking forwarding to competing,” Felts said. 

With so much turnover from last year’s squad, Felts understands that plenty of challenges await the Titans. Only two returning starters are back in 2024. 

“We need to figure out the best lineups and get these younger guys experience so they can compete at a high level,” he said. “A challenge will be figuring out the pitching rotation and how to manage that on a weekly basis. But these challenges are exciting, since it means new guys getting the opportunity to step up and prove themselves, which is exciting and rewarding.”

As far as the pitching is concerned, Felts is taking a “committee” approach where several players are contributing. 

Olympus started region play March 26 with a three-game series with East that continued March 27 and concluded March 29. On April 2, the Titans play the first of three games in a row against rival Skyline. The final three-game series of the season is against Highland May 6, 7, 9. After wrapping up the regular season, the Titans will head into the Class 5A state tournament where they hope to push deeper into the postseason. 

Regardless of what record the team produces, Felts is thrilled to coach this group of hard-working players. 

“Like every year, it’s always the players,” he said. “These are such great kids that I love to be around—as good of kids as there are anywhere, which has been a constant as long as I have been here. It’s by far the most rewarding thing about coaching at Olympus.” λ