Class 7A baseball is volatile.
It has plenty of teams that have been great since the beginning of the year, but so much of what happens in the upcoming playoffs is about who gets hot at the right time.
Starkville is looking like one of those teams.
The Yellow Jackets have won their last seven games and 10 of their last 12. The streak has included wins over No. 3 Oxford and No. 2 Tupelo.
“It really kind of boils down to experience,” Jackets coach Mark Monaghan said. “I just think with each game, we’ve got a lot of young guys that are just gaining confidence and belief and in their own abilities, and in our ability as a team to cohesively do what’s necessary in order to win games.”
Starkville is scoring 11.6 runs per game during its winning streak. The Yellow Jackets started off the season poorly in the batter’s box but have since had more competitive at-bats, especially with two outs and/or runners in scoring position.
The two biggest catalysts are on the right side of the infield.
B.J. Hendrix, a sophomore second baseman, leads off for Starkville. He holds a .405 average to go with a team-high 23 runs scored and 18 RBIs. To his left in the field is first baseman Taj Prater. The sophomore is second behind Hendrix with 26 hits and is tied for third on the team with 14 RBIs.
“Those two guys have really, I feel like, carried a lot of the load,” Monaghan said. “But then it’s just been a great mix of the other guys, different guys, stepping up in different games.”
Starkville (18-8-1, 7-3) is locked into the No. 3 seed out of Region 2-7A. The Jackets will face Tupelo in their first-round playoff series.
As opposed to worrying about where it is in a set of rankings, Starkville’s focus remains on strengthening its identity as a team. That includes speed on the basepaths and mastering small ball.
“They don’t buck the system. They’re truly all in to (do) whatever it takes,” Monaghan said. “What we need that day, that game, they’re just willing to do whatever it takes.”
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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 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
