Ryan Dodds is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert High School for AZPreps365.com

The Gilbert baseball team suffered a loss of a large senior class that graduated last season. 

The future still looks promising with a freshman starter on the varsity squad and a team full of underclassmen.

Freshman right fielder and pitcher Noel Aviles is making an immediate impact for the Tigers, collecting eight hits, six RBIs and four walks at the plate and even two appearances pitching, giving up just three hits in three innings in nine games to open the season.  

“He showed up like a professional ready to get work done, ready to get better every day,” Gilbert head coach Braiden Adams said. “He was extremely coachable from the first time we met him, and there’s been a lot of improvement, which made it easy to give him the opportunities.” 

Assistant coach Bryan Scott said Aviles doesn’t seem overwhelmed by the competition having to jump to the higher level.  

Both coaches along with senior teammate Will Bates praised his talent that sticks out from other freshmen who have gotten chances.  

“It’s the way he's able to hit varsity pitching,” Bates said. “Varsity pitching, it's not easy especially at 6A, and he still manages to square the ball up.” 

Both Scott and Adams showed high praise for Aviles’ intangible traits, pointing out his work ethic, desire to compete and his maturity. 

“We’ve only had a few freshmen come up (to varsity) through the years, and it was for a state run or a need at a particular position,” Adams said, “Everytime we started to doubt if he’s ready, he (Aviles) kept proving that he had the maturity, and he was ready.” 

Even teammates are taking notice of the type of player Aviles is at such a young age.  

”He’s very much of a team player. He's very encouraging and very mature at his age,” Bates said. “It feels like he’s just part of the guys.”

Aviles said he feels good about how he’s proved himself making the varsity team. 

“You have to put a lot of hard work in and have leadership with you,” Aviles said. 

Aviles also said there’s obviously pressure being a freshman on the team and that he needs to “just be me”. 

Scott said the promising freshman would have been pitching more except he was injured over spring break.

“I’m excited to see him on the mound more,” Scott said.

Adams said the expectations for Aviles this season are wanting to see him adjust to the speed of the game and to learn how to play and compete at the high school level

“We felt he was mature enough to handle failure if it came his way,” said Adams

It’s not just a freshman who is making an impact on the team. Fourteen of the Tigers’ 24 players are sophomores.