Junior right-hander C.J. Gross is 8-0 with an ERA below 2.00.By Rubin E. Grant
Spain Park baseball coach Will Smith decided his team needed a challenge for the first two months of this season, especially since the Jaguars had 12 seniors and seven returning starters from their 2022 team.
“I knew we had an experienced group coming back, so by design I made the schedule as challenging and as difficult as it could get because, come April, I wanted us to be battle tested and ready,” Smith said.
The Jags have met the challenge and then some. Last week, they beat Hewitt-Trussville twice, 11-1 on Tuesday and 7-5 on Friday, to improve to 25-6 overall and 4-0 in Class 7A, Area 6, clinching a tie for the area championship. They could claim the title outright this week with a win against Chelsea.
The Jags were scheduled to visit the Hornets on Tuesday and host them on Thursday.
Spain Park has been on a roll for more than a month.
“We lost a game at Vestavia on March 14, and from that point forward we have won 15 out of the last 17,” Smith said. “A lot of those have been one-run games against good opponents and that’s allowed us to build confidence and be ready for pressure moments in big games.”
In one of those setbacks, a 5-4 loss to Auburn on April 1 in the Hoover Buccaneer Classic, the Jags learned a valuable lesson.
“We had the bases loaded with no outs in the sixth and seventh innings, looking to break the game open, but we didn’t score,” Smith said. “We learned that magic doesn’t just happen, you’ve got to make it happen.
“It’s hard to catch mojo in this game. You have to battle to get it and battle to keep it. That said, we have been playing well.”
The Jags have several players who have been on the varsity for two or three years, including senior first baseman Cole Edwards and senior third baseman Evan Smallwood. Both will play at the next level, with Edwards headed to Auburn and Smallwood to Jacksonville State.
Edwards is hitting .404 (40 for 99) with five home runs, 16 doubles, 40 runs batted in, 34 runs scored and 19 steals. Smallwood is hitting .341, with six doubles, 38 runs and 17 stolen bases.
Outfielder-pitcher Jacob Tobias, who is hitting .333, also will play in college at Lipscomb University. Tobias is batting .333 and is 2-2 with a 3.06 earned-run average on the mound.
Smith expects senior catcher Clay Spencer and senior outfielder J.R. Thompson to also have some options about playing college ball. Spencer is having a solid season at the plate, hitting .398 (39-95) with 16 doubles, three home runs and 31 RBI.
Senior outfielder Ryan Cole is another experienced player.
The Jags have been getting solid contributions from a few juniors – center fielder Matthew Widra, second baseman James Battersby and shortstop Aiden Berke.
“They have solidified our lineup,” Smith said.
Widra is hitting close to .400 with three home runs, 20 RBI and 11 steals. Battersby is hitting close to .360 and Berke has been steady defensively.
On the mound, the Jags’ top two pitchers are undefeated. Junior right-hander C.J. Gross is 8-0 with an ERA below 2.00.
“He’s having a fantastic year,” Smith said.
Gross earned the win at Hewitt last Friday, pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and five runs but only 1 earned, and had six strikeouts.
Senior right-hander Lucas Thornton is 6-0 with a 2.17 ERA and one save. In the 11-1 win against Hewitt, Thornton allowed one hit and one run with five walks in five innings while pitching a complete game.
Senior right-hander Caedmon Hunt is another starter. He has a 3-2 record with a 2.58 ERA. Junior right-hander Blake Patrick has pitched well out of the bullpen in high-leverage situations, Smith said.
The Jags missed the playoffs in 2022 despite a 25-11 record. Although they have already clinched a playoff berth this season, Smith said they are not looking too far ahead. The first round of the Class 7A playoffs will be played April 28-29.
“I think we need to continue to do the things we do well and correct the mistakes we’ve been making,” he said.
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