So far for Caledonia’s baseball team, the road to midway though the season has already been a long one – and the Cavs have already seen enough of it.
Through 13 games the team has played only two at home, both wins, but the road games have been a bit more unkind. Losses have piled on during stretches and the Cavs are set to take a 6-7 overall mark into the beginning of Region 1-5A play next week.
Coming off a first-round playoff exit last year with some key returners on its roster, the team has shown flashes of what it’s capable of so far, like its 15-0 and 10-2 wins over Bessemer Academy and 13-1 walloping of Grenada. In those games the pitching, highlighted by three hurlers who have all signed on to take the mound in college, and the bats worked in unison for the victory. But then there are the head scratchers, like a 1-0 loss to Saltillo in which the Cavs only mustered three hits while getting 10 strikeouts from Liberty University commit Reid Garrett, or their 2-1 defeat to East Webster. In that game the Cavs were again held to just three hits in another winnable contest. Trevor Dennis has been the team’s most productive hitter with a .419 batting average and a team-high 13 hits. Cohen Clark is right behind with 12 hits and a .375 average. As a team the Cavs are hitting .262.
Getting more consistent showings at the plate has been part of the mission this year for first-year head coach Chase Reeves as the Cavs begin their chase for another playoff berth.
“I think that obviously I’m new, so (it’s) just establishing the culture and the standard that we want to play with,” Reeves said. “Early on it was fresh out the gate, we played pretty well, we still had a lot of stuff we didn’t do well in those wins. All the losses you can go back to one play, one at-bat, in those games and you win. So I challenged the guys, ‘Good teams win close games, disciplined teams win close games.’ We just have to be a little more disciplined, a little more tougher. We have a very talented ball club, it’s just a matter of putting it all together.”
The Cavs are coming off yet another road trip – this time to Pontotoc on Thursday – where they played in a midseason tournament against two foes from Tennessee, both losses. Christian Brothers took the first game 6-4 and Munford delivered Caledonia a 5-1 defeat as the Cavs were outhit 16-12 with 14 runners left on bases.
It was yet another stretch of games that sent the team back to the drawing board before region games begin at Pontotoc on Tuesday.
“Against Christian Brothers, we played a really good ball game and we played well. We had a few mistakes here and there, a few times we didn’t get a job done that we should have, but it’s just buying into what us the staff preaches every day. It’s just selfless baseball. … I told them, Phase one of the season is over and phase two starts Tuesday. We have division (games) starting next week. What did we learn and grow in phase one?”
Pitching leads the way
Part of why the Cavs feel confident they can shape into a complete and formidable unit is their pitching, which has kept them in games all year. Standing at 6-foot-6, Garrett has been a towering problem for opposing batters and currently stands with a 3-0 record and a 0.97 ERA. Garrett leads the team with 45 strikeouts and only three walks against the 111 batters he’s faced and has only given up six runs (four earned). He’s even produced at the plate and is tied with fellow pitcher Garrett Holloman for the most RBI on the team with 12.
“Reid has been doing great and I’ve even challenged him,” Reeves said. “He could be sharper and put people away instead of picking around.”
The third most innings pitched belongs to Chandler Cobb, an East Mississippi Community College commit who has posted a 1.62 ERA with 16 strikeouts and nine runs. He’s been working his way back into the rotation after nursing a UCL sprain. The Munford game was the first time “we’ve kind of turned him loose” all season, Reeves said, and he struck out five but gave up four earned runs in 5 ⅓ innings of work.
“We let him go and he looked good,” Reeves said.
Holloman, a Northwest Mississippi Community College commit, has seen the fourth-most action from the mound so far and has fanned eight, walked seven and given up six runs.
“Garrett has been great,” he said. “The challenge for him, like I told him (Thursday), ‘We have to be able to stretch it out.’ It’s a confidence thing knowing that ‘My stuff works,’ and he has really good stuff. It’s just being able to stretch him out for more than an inning or two.”
In the second spot on the mound has been the surge of sophomore Aaron Harris. He’s fanned 10, walked eight and has given up eight earned runs.
“He’s a young guy who has thrown a lot for us and is really good,” Reeves said. “He’ll be another college guy in a few years on the mound.”
Full of talent, the Cavs know all they have to do is put it all together for the final and important stretch of the regular season to capture another postseason berth, and Reeves said that’s what has been the topic of their recent practices.
Region 1-5A is full of competitive teams, so to get to the top they’ll have to be at their best.
“Our Region is arguably the best in the 5A North. … It’s us, New Hope, Pontotoc, Lafayette, West Point, Columbus; you are going to have to strap in on every week and go to war. That’s what I told the team, ‘This was our preseason. Major League guys get 60-70 at-bats in spring training. What did you guys learn in this first phase of the season?’ … I do think we’ve gotten a lot better.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
