That familiar sound of the bat meeting the ball rang out on a June morning where the heat made it feel as if standing outside was the inside of the oven.

One month of summer workouts are nearly in the books and the Navarre baseball team feels good about the progress made, both in the cages and in the weight room.

Late in the third quarter of a game against North Alabama at Roy Kidd Stadium last October, Josh Carter bullies his way into the end zone from a yard out, stretching the Eastern Kentucky lead to 42-28.

For Carter, finding paydirt is what he strives to do every time he carries the ball. It’s a mindset that has been ingrained into his brain from a young age growing up in a running back family.

Tyrell Marshall battled through pain last year to be on the field. A shoulder injury since his freshman season was something he played through before getting surgery on it at the end of last season.

And now Marshall is on the road back to being the player he knows he can be this coming season for the Navarre football team.