Latta’s new head baseball coach Donald Cribb has some big shoes to fill. But with over 30 years of experience coaching baseball, including 26 years as head coach for Marion, Cribb definitely has what it takes.

Last season, coach Daniel Little took the Vikings all the way to the state championship series, where they fell 2-1 to St. Joseph’s, earning a 5-3 win in game one but getting swept 8-0 and 10-0 in the last two games. Latta finished with a 23-4 record and Little earned Class A Coach of the Year honors.

This season, Cribb says his goal is for the Vikings “to improve to the point where we are at our very best as a team by playoff time.”

The Vikings have 11 seniors returning this season, including 2013 All-State players Donell Stanley and Jeremy Jenkins and USC Sumter commits Travis Power and Christian Hendrix. Latta lost just three players from last year’s lower state championship team.

Cribb, who won 411 games and two Class 3A state championships as Marion’s head baseball coach, will join the coaching staff along with assistant coaches Bill Bullard, Austin Morrell, and Chris German.

Despite an experienced team and staff, Cribb expects a tough road ahead, with new opponents in Andrews, Darlington, McBee, and Marlboro County. He also noted a tough Region-8A field.

“Johnsonville and Lake View are both preseason top 10 teams,” he added.

But the Vikings will be working hard to get back to the state series again this season.

“They are all new to me,” Cribb said. “But I have enjoyed coaching the players so far. We will prepare and expect to be as successful as possible.”

Latta opens the season at home on Thursday, March 13, when they will host Darlington at 5:30 p.m.