|
Pamlico pitcher Eric Hardison prepares a pitch in a game against Jones Senior earlier this season. The Hurricanes will compete in the first round of the Class 1-A state playoffs today at North Johnston.
Jess Huffman/Sun Journal
Pamlico, Jones Senior begin postseason today
Where there is good news, bad news often follows.
For the Jones Senior baseball team, the good news is that it made the state playoffs for the first time in 15 years.
The bad news is, the Trojans will have to play today's 1-A playoff game against Wallace-Rose Hill without their catcher, Nick Smith, who had surgery on his Achilles tendon Wednesday.
"Our bad news is that we have got mixed feelings right now," said Jones Senior coach Glenn Smith. "We are concerned about (Nick), but at the same time we are very jubilant that they would give us an opportunity to play in the state playoffs."
Nick Smith is also second on Jones Senior in hitting with a .311 batting average. He also leads the team with 14 runs batted in.
But the aspect the Trojans are going to miss the most is Nick Smith's impact on defense.
"Defensively, behind the plate, he has done a great job all year," Glenn Smith said. "Offensively I think he is second on the team, so that is a pretty big blow for us. If you take the position itself, the catcher is like the quarterback of the team, so it is a pretty big loss."
Glenn Smith found out about Jones Senior making the playoffs around noon on Wednesday. He immediately informed his team.
"A lot of them had no idea we'd have a chance to be in the playoffs, so I think it was more of a shock," Glenn Smith said.
He added that he doesn't know a whole lot about Wallace-Rose Hill, but he has heard a little bit about them.
"I have heard they have got a leadoff batter who is very talented and athletic and runs a 40 (yard dash) in 4.4," he said. "They have got a good pitcher named Partin and he is a good hitter as well."
Wallace-Rose Hill finished the regular season with a record of 11-11 and was champion of the Super Six Conference.
The Trojans finished the season with a 9-12 record, following four-consecutive years without a single victory.
Jones Senior finished fifth in the Coastal Plains Conference with a 3-7 mark. Only the top four teams in the conference receive automatic bids to the playoffs.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association included Jones Senior as a wild card team.
The last time Jones Senior has reached the postseason was in 1993.
"We are hoping to get a little bit of experience and hopefully we will be able to get back there in the future," Glenn Smith said. "Now we are just excited about the opportunity."
The first deal of business at Wednesday's practice was to search for a new catcher to replace freshman Nick Smith.
"Nick has caught every inning for us this year," Glenn Smith said. "We are going to have to really look to see who we can put back there. I've heard that there are three or four guys who may have had experience years ago, but we are in a tough spot with that."
Junior Ruffin Koonce is expected to get the start on the mound for the Trojans. Koonce has a 3-2 record with a 4.02 earned run average.
"He has done a good job for us all year and he has been throwing strikes," Glenn Smith said. "He has been pretty consistent and we are going to have to see how it goes."
Tonight's game will be played at 6 p.m. at Wallace-Rose Hill High School.
-- Pamlico County at North Johnston
After dropping a tough game to Jones Senior on April 28, the Pamlico County baseball team finished the season with a big win over Dixon.
The win helped the Hurricanes earn a spot in the 1-A state playoffs.
"One thing we said about the Dixon game is that Dixon had very little to play for and we had everything to play for," said Pamlico County coach Steve Hardee. "We didn't want Dixon to out-emotion us and they didn't."
The Hurricanes, who own a 10-11 record, will travel to North Johnston High School for a 6 p.m. match-up tonight.
North Johnston, from the Carolina Conference, enters today's contest with a record of 12-6.
"I am sure they are pretty good, they are 8-2 in their conference," Hardee said. "They are in a pretty tough conference. We will have our work cut out for us. If we play well then we should be able to give them a game."
The Hurricanes plan on sending Eric Hardison to the mound.
"He's pitched pretty well over the last couple of weeks," Hardee said. "He has been our best pitcher over the last month, so we are going to go with the hot hand."
Last season the Hurricanes lost to Rosewood in the first round.
"We are not even thinking about that," Hardee said. "This team, we just focus on what we have got right in front of us. We are just worried what we are doing and focused on our effort and our preparation. We are not looking back to last year's playoffs and we are not looking ahead to anything beyond North Johnston."
According to Hardee, he feels his team has a good chance of pulling the upset.
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at North Johnston High School.
"Our attitude has been pretty good for the last two weeks," Hardee said. "If we play our game and play it well we should have a chance to win the game. If we don't make routine plays and don't throw strikes and don't put the ball in play consistently, then we are going to have a hard time. Hopefully we are up for the challenge."
Adam Thompson can be reached at (252) 635-5670 or at athompson@freedomenc.com.
