Pitching and defense have been integral parts of the New Hope High School baseball team’s championship tradition for years.

If Noah Brock and Peyton Buckner continue dealing like they have been for the past two weeks, the Trojans just might be able to entertain title hopes after a third-place finish in their region in the regular season.

Last week against Lewisburg in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A State tournament, Brock pitched a complete-game four-hitter (two walks, six strikeouts) in a 1-0 victory. Buckner nearly doubled that performance in Game 2, going 6 2/3 innings and surrendering six hits, walking three, and striking out six in another 1-0 victory that propelled New Hope into the next round.

“The more I go out there and show them I am about this game and we’re going to do what we have to do to win, I feel that really brings the team up,” Brock said. ”

For their accomplishments, Brock and Buckner are The Dispatch’s Prep Players of the Week.

Playoff series victories against Neshoba Central and Lewisburg have pushed New Hope (20-10) into the third round of the Class 5A State tournament. New Hope will take on Grenada at 6 p.m. in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. Game 2 will be at 7 p.m. Friday in Columbus. If needed, Game 3 will be at 6 p.m. Monday at Grenada.

Brock, a 5-foot-11, 197-pound sophomore, transferred to New Hope from Wayne Academy, where he was a member of the baseball team since seventh grade. He said the transition back to New Hope wasn’t a big one because he went to school in Lowndes County until the fourth grade. He said returning to New Hope felt like “coming home” and that it was easy to re-connect with friends and baseball.

At the beginning of the season, though, Brock said he really didn’t think he was going to focus on pitching. He said he started hitting in junior varsity until he pulled his groin, but the injury didn’t affect his performance. He said the hard work he put in the offseason and the help of all of the coaches have been keys to his success.

Brock erased the memory of a 7-1 loss to Houston in which he gave up eight hits and six runs (four earned) in 4 2/3 innings with back-to-back solid starts in the playoffs. Against Neshoba Central, he pitched a complete-game eight-hitter with two walks and 11 strikeouts.

“The changeup probably was my best pitch because they were all on the fastball. They showed me the first fastball they were on it, so I knew we had to mix it up. If we perfect that, it always works out good.”

Entering the series against Grenada, Brock is 5-2 with a 1.27 ERA. In 12 games (seven starts), he has pitched 55 innings and has allowed 41 hits and 14 walks. He has struck out 66. He also has two saves.

“He is a workhorse,” Boyd said. “He has got some velocity. Early in the season, he kind of struggled with the strike zone some, but it seemed like a light switch cut off on him when the season started. We didn’t really know what the role we were going to use him in and didn’t know how good Noah was. We brought him out of the pen the first couple of times. It got to the point he was pitching so well that we had to start him. When he got a couple of starts, he started going deep in games and his stamina got a little further. When he goes out there and pitches well, we feel we have a chance to win.”

Brock said he and Boyd adjusted early in the game against Lewisburg when they noticed a change needed to be made. Boyd said Brock was able to be just as effective with his off-speed pitches in Game 1 of the second-round series to get ahead in counts. He also said he was able to spot his fastball, which was a key to his success with two strikes.

Brock said he trusted his offense because he knows the Trojans can put the ball in play when they need to. He said he knew focus would be a key against a good hitting time like Lewisburg. That’s why he followed his routine before the game and stayed in his locker room in the New Hope High field house and didn’t talk to anyone. He said he takes the same approach every game and stays to himself to think about when he has to do in that game.

“Every game is important to me,” Brock said. “We’re a really tough team to beat when we’re all playing together. I feel like if we keep it going we’re going to make it a good ways.”

Boyd said he talked to Buckner because he wanted to reassure him he still believed in him. He said Buckner threw well in his first couple of starts but then was victimized a little by defensive mistakes. He said he felt the errors weighed on Buckner, which led to their discussion a few weeks ago. After the talk, Boyd said he has seen a rejuvenated and motivated Buckner, which helps explain why the junior has delivered “unbelievable” outings.

“He normally starts on Tuesday, and his bullpen days — the days he needs to put in work — are Fridays and Saturdays — and we’re kind of in game mode at that point in time,” Boyd said. “Not that he was getting overlooked, but he probably wasn’t getting the attention he deserved. I take some of the blame for that. Hopefully we have got that corrected now, and the last two weeks it has been good for us.”

Buckner, a 5-10 1/2, 173-pound junior, rebounded from a 6-3 loss to West Point on April 15 in which he went four innings and allowed four hits and six runs (one earned). He rebounded against Neshoba Central to throw a complete-game six-hitter in a 10-1 victory on April 23. He walked one and struck out five.

Going into the series against Grenada, Bucker is 5-4 with a 2.04 ERA. In 44 2/3 innings, he has allowed 46 hits and walked 19. He has struck out 41.

Buckner said his mind-set has changed toward baseball and he feels he is back on track. He admitted everything started to fall off after his first two starts and progressed to the point he sat down and talked to Boyd. He said he was feeling “defeated” and that he felt he wasn’t doing anything right when he was on the mound. After the talk, though, he had a new mind-set and that things snapped back into place. He said the reassurance he received from Boyd helped him bounce back the next day.

“I felt like I wanted to be (at practice). I didn’t want to leave that field that day,” Buckner said. “It was the same the next day and the next day. My work habits got back to where they were last year. I am long-tossing between starts like I am supposed to. I am throwing my bullpens like I need to. I am working my changeup in the bullpen like I need to.”

Boyd said Buckner has shown the consistency in the last two starts he had last season when he was counted on to go five, six, or seven innings each time out. He feels the added attention that is being given to Buckner and the responsibility Buckner is taking on himself has paid dividends.

“When we talked it out, I think he realized we do have faith in him and he has to make sure he busts his tail in between starts,” Boyd said. “When he busts his tail between starts, good things can happen for him.”

n In other MHSAA action Monday, Trip Benson had an RBI triple and Dalton Morrow had an RBI single in a three-run ninth inning to lift Pine grove to a 5-2 victory against Hamilton in Game 2 of their Class 1A second-round playoff series.

The victory helped Pine Grove (23-4) eliminate Hamilton (14-13) and advance to face Tupelo Christian Prep in the next round.

Hamilton led 2-1 going into the top of the seventh inning.

Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.