NEW HOPE — The Trojan baseball team added another title to the already impressive outfield wall on Tuesday, securing the program’s 29th district title with a 7-1 win over Clarksdale.
New Hope’s senior ace, Austin Minichino, registered 18 strikeouts in a complete-game performance, providing an RBI double at the plate as well. It was one of seven hits for the Trojans, who struggled to get going at the plate before putting three runs on the board in both the third and fourth innings.
Minichino’s 18 Ks came from just 90 pitches on the night, giving him his sixth win of the season. He only allowed three hits, two of which came in the second inning alongside an earned run, but otherwise had few blemishes as he tore through the opposing lineup.
“It was good to have those hits to give us a little breathing room,” head coach Lee Boyd said. “We knew they could play, and they’ve played games close in our division. When you give Austin three or four to work with and he’s throwing the way he is, I mean, I don’t know what the strikeout record is, but he’s got to be close.”
The Trojans’ lineup featured nine seniors who were honored pregame in Senior Night festivities, including ceremonial first pitches thrown between them and their fathers. It’s been a memorable career and regular season for the group, but they’re aiming much higher than that.
The Trojans are 14-9 on the year and 8-1 in Class 5A Region 1. Their only district defeat came against rivals Lafayette last week, a 12-1 home loss delivered by the reigning district champs who knocked them out of the state semifinals a year ago. They were able to shake it off with a Saturday win over Sipsey Valley and will feel a lot better after taking advantage of their sizable lead in the standings to clinch the top seed on Tuesday.
“It was a bit of a perfect storm, and Lafayette has a good team and are coached well,” Boyd told The Dispatch. “The effort was there, we just didn’t play well. It was nice to have a game on Saturday as well, and beat Sipsey 7-4. We want to play well. I wish I knew how to coach this, but it’s one of those where you want to play well at the right time. We’ve got five games to get right and fine-tune, and it’s nice to get back and play again. We had a sour taste in our mouths but we got it out with these last couple of games.”
With their spot in the postseason secured, the Trojans now look to work on their swings. Minichino and Conner Lewis have been a formidable force from the mound and the strong defensive play has bought the team time to get right at the plate.
A lack of offensive production put them in a hole early in the season, and while they improved at the right time to tear through their district, New Hope’s batters are anything but satisfied ahead of the playoffs.
“Our mindset is we can beat anyone in the state with me and Conner on the mound,” Minichino said. “We’ve got to put the effort in, and we struggle with hitting sometimes but if we can get the bats rolling, we can win games in the playoffs.”
The Trojans’ 29th district title also secures their 37th consecutive playoff appearance. The team hopes to add another plus-one to the outfield wall, a ninth state championship for the storied program. It’s an expectation every New Hope squad strives for and one this current group came close to achieving last season.
“It means a lot of tradition has come through here,” Boyd said of the outfield signage. “I think that’s something that motivates me as a coach, being from New Hope, knowing the history of the program, you want to keep it going. Our players see that daily, and they want to be a part of the special history of baseball here.”
“I feel like we’re held to a higher expectation with all these signs out here,” Minichino added. “We want to bring another sign home for everyone, especially the fans and our coaches. We put in so many hours of work, and we want to add more to these signs.”
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