A lot happened for East Webster in a short 2020 season and most of it was good while the ending leaves a sour taste in the mouths of all involved. First and foremost, there was a new coach roaming the dugout for the first times in several decades. Longtime coach Wes Johnson stepped away from baseball to focus on his children who were starting college and his assistant Jordan Smith took over. Smith inherited a talented roster but one that he had a significant role in developing over their high school careers. After losing three-straight games to tough teams like New Hope, Starkville and Nanih Waiya, the Wolverines were just beginning to hit their stride after closing the schedule with five-straight wins. They finished off spring break with two wins in one day against Oak Hill and Winston Academy but immediately things came crashing to a halt with the suspension of spring sports due to the coronavirus outbreak. Soon, the entire season would be cancelled leaving the coach both sad and frustrated. “When I first found out about it, it was frustrating for multiple reasons. It’s more than a game. A lot of people don’t understand that,” Smith said. “I look at my job not only as a source of income, but I also look at it as a calling to teach about life. Our season began really when school started in August building a culture and a brotherhood. It’s extremely frustrating because now all the hard work is about to come into fruition, and it gets stopped. “I’m frustrated because I had a good team. I was very confident with the group of guys that I have and the quality of baseball I felt like we could produce is very high. It gets emotional when you think about the seniors that I have. It’s disappointing to think about the fact they won’t get a chance to finish their season.” There’s plenty to be excited about in the future for Smith. The Wolverines will bring back a lot of talent with Hastings Gibson, Anthony Medine, Luke McKee and Jesse Roberts entering their junior seasons in the field and Gavin Edwards and Ethan Roberts as seniors. Several standout pitchers are also back on the mound like Kainan Reed, John Preston Springer, Gibson and others. But it’s the seniors that Smith is most upset about not getting to finish the job. The Wolverines were going to be contenders for the Class 2A, Region 2 crown this season and a state title contender because of all the previously mentioned players but most importantly because of the senior class. Wes Silver was one of the top players in the division and destined for a big year. There was also Cameron Pilgrim who was .414 on the year, Jace Grantham and the team’s top pitcher Gray McCarter. For at least two of the players, there is life after East Webster on the baseball diamond. McCarter is playing his baseball next season at East Mississippi Community College while Silver will be going to Decatur to play at East Central Community College. “It’s always special when a kid gets to play baseball beyond high school. That’s just a testament to their hard work and the compilation of years of work being on display,”Smith said. “When you have a situation that we’re in right now, it makes it special. You hate for a senior not to get an opportunity to get to finish their senior year.”
