By Tim Peterson

| Special to The Tribune

While a new baseball facility is being completed at Granger High School, the school’s baseball team wasn’t sure if playing every game on the road this season would turn them into road warriors or road kill.

The sixth-place Lancers finished the 2011 season with a disappointing mark of 9-15 and missed the playoffs for the first time in four years. In the end, the Lancers’ nomadic season became both a blessing and a curse.

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At a glance

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Lancers have rough season

After playing every game on the road this season, Granger’s baseball team struggled to a 9-15 record and failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time in four years.

The Lancers hope to rebound next season, as they join a new region that will include traditional baseball powers Taylorsville and Viewmont.

Granger won a 21-13 slugfest at Hunter High School in its season finale.

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"This season, with all the road games, it was just mentally draining," said senior third baseman Jose Magana, who broke the school’s single-season hitting record by notching 31 base hits.

"It’s been a rough one," said Granger coach Garrett Clark. "Maybe the most difficult season we’ve experienced."

Magana said not having a home field on which to have simple batting practice or shag grounders hurt the team’s ability to make improvements.

Instead, the team practiced in the gym or at a nearby city park — which was often unplayable because of the field’s poor drainage system.

Sophomore outfielder Dylan Haslam echoed his teammate’s thoughts: "Definitely not having a home field [was tough]," he said. "Not being able to throw in a bullpen, hit in the cages — just to have a home, you know."

The sophomore gave chase to the school’s hitting record this season but came up short of Magana’s record. Nonetheless, Haslam is a rising star at Granger and believes the team will be stronger for enduring this season’s hardships.

"This experience should help a lot," Haslam said following a 21-13 win over Hunter. "I think we need to work on defense. We’ve been scoring a lot, but we haven’t been able to hold the other team."

Granger’s defense was porous this season, allowing region opponents a league-high 143 runs. However, with a new field and several experienced players returning next season, the team is optimistic about its future.

"It’s going to make me happy next year," said pitcher Colton Stitcher. "We all know what to expect, we all know what we’re getting ourselves into, and we all have the experience. I can’t wait for it."

Still, the most exciting prospect joining next year’s team is its new baseball facility. The Lancers’ own field of dreams is projected to be ready for play by this August.

"It’s hard to develop without a field," Clark said. "We’re going to go take care of it, work on it a little bit. It’ll be perfect — it’ll be home."