Strong pitching enabled Choctaw County to sweep two games at a jamboree hosted by Nanih Waiya. In four-inning games, the Chargers defeated Louisville 3-0 and Nanih Waiya 4-1.
Jamboree games are four innings, with pitchers limited to two innings.
A couple of freshmen, Wesley Vowell and Alex Telano, no-hit Louisville, each with two innings.
“My plan was to throw as many pitchers as I could, but they got out of innings with like seven or eight pitches,” said coach Andy Young.
He used three pitchers against Nanih Waiya, Justin Jenkins, Brian Threadgill and Landon Wells, and all did well. The offense was led by Vowell, Connor Jewell and Clark Crowley.
The Chargers have a classic game at home with Winona Saturday. It will be a full seven-inning game. “I hope the weather cooperates and we get to practice outside this week,” Young said Sunday.
The first regular season game is next Tuesday at home with Sebastopol.
Young Grace Christian team preparing for
season
Grace Christian ended the 2019 season with a 7-5 record. Gone from that team are several key players as well as coach Ralph Goss.
Goss, a member of the Winston County Board of Supervisors, stepped down after 10 years as Grace Christian coach. In his place is Charlie Agnew, battling the elements as he prepares a young team – only two seniors – for the season, beginning with a jamboree Saturday hosted by Meridian Home School.
The Eagles will play Meridian Home School at 11 a.m. and Golden Triangle of Columbus at 1 p.m. The first regular season game will be on the road against Laurel Home School Feb, 27, followed by the first home game with Winona Christian a day later.
The weather is often a problem in Mississippi, but it has been especially acute this year. Even when the rain stopped, the baseball field was too soggy.
“We did some fly ball work in the parking lot. That's the only dry place we could find,” Agnew said.
Key players will include Gideon White, Russell Chappell, Grayson Skelton and the coach's son Wes Agnew. They all pitch and play other positions. White and Skelton are infielders and Chappell, a lefty, plays first base.
Wes Agnew caught last year, but will be utilized as the proverbial Swiss army knife this year. “He will play in a number of positions,” his father said. “He'll do some pitching, he'll play in the outfield.”
The Eagles will play a lot of “small ball” this year. “We're not going to be a team that overpowers other teams, so we need a good knowledge of the game, a good polished skill set defensively,” the coach said. “We need to pitch well and we need to put the ball in play.”
