Shuckers gearing up for 2023 season

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) -Heading into 2023 the Biloxi Shuckers roster is once again boasting some top talent, including the top prospect in the Brewers organization and third best prospect in all of minor league baseball Jackson Chourio.

Manager Mike Guerrero, is once again at the helm of the Shuckers for his seventh season.

While he’s looking forward to seeing his top prospects play, he knows the rest of the roster will rise to the occasion.

“Let the talent take over and go from there,” said Guerrero. “I think we have a lot of talent and a lot of kids with natural ability. Just let them play and see where it takes you. You still have to work on certain things and that’s why you’re here.”

For Chourio himself, he says finishing the year with the Shuckers last year helped him adjust better this spring so he’ll be ready for a full slate of double-A ball.

“It helps because the moment is never too big,” he said. “I’m outside playing everyday and getting better at what I do.”

A newcomer to the Shuckers and the number eight prospect in the Brewers system, Tyler Black, is returning from injury and ready to face a higher level of competition in Double-A ball.

“You’re facing the best of the best,” said Black. “A lot of people talk about how challenging this league is and I’m up for the challenge so I’ll see what I can do. Just being on the field again seeing fans and being out there competing I just can’t wait.

Two familiar faces return on the mound in Nick Bennett as a reliever this time around and T.J. Shook, who both made some physical or mental adjustments this off season.

“As a reliever you have to bounce back quicker and obviously you can’t get sore by being in the weight room like I would if I was a starter because I would have a few days to recover from that,” said Bennett. “It’ll be more about being able to bounce back.

“Adversity comes no matter what if you play baseball. How to overcome that depends on the person. I train with a bunch of guys and a bunch of big leaguers so they give me some good insights,” added Shook. “So, I really wanted to see how they overcome adversity and see how I can apply that to my game.

Opening Day at any level of baseball from tee ball to the minor and major leagues always brings butterflies and high hopes, from the coaching staff to the players and everyone in between, they says they’re more than ready to get back on the diamond and in front of the home crowd.

“I think we have a really talented roster up and down and a lot of fun guys that bring a lot of energy to the lineup which will also bring a lot of energy to the ballpark,” Bennett added. “So I think the fans should be ready for a show.”

The Shuckers open the season on the road in Pearl to take on the M-Braves.

They’ll open the season at home on April 11th, taking on the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

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