By Laurence Hilliard
Choctaw Plaindealer
The French Camp baseball team finished 9-13 last year, but played its best at the end of the season, reaching the third round of the MHSAA 1A playoffs before losing two close games to state champion Nanih Waiya, 3-2 in eighth inning, and 3-0. Early season losses of 11-5 and 17-4 to Nanih Waiya illustrate the improvement by the end of the year.
Coach Nathan Wright is looking for leadership from three seniors among six returning starters.
John Weeks pitches and plays shortstop. “John has grown a lot in leadership,” Wright said. “He has started this year out with a bang. He is looking good.”
Weeks was 3-3 last year, had one save and a 2.20 ERA.
Colin Perry is a pitcher and middle infielder. “He's a solid, hard-working kid,” Wright said. “He's one of those kids you hate to see graduate. You like having kids who work really hard and do all the little things.”
Logan Burchfield is also a pitcher and middle infielder. “Logan's really athletic,” Wright said. “He grew up playing baseball, He knows a lot about the game and has tremendous potential to lead by word and deed.”
Three underclassmen who will play a key role in the team's success are junior Holman Edwards and Clayton Leathers and sophomore Seth Box. All three pitch, catch and play third. Edwards and Leathers are three-sport athletes in football, basketball and baseball.
Box and Leathers both had strong years at the plate a year ago. Box batted .339 with two homers and a team leading 17 RBIs. Leathers batted .359. Edwards allowed only one earned run on six hits and fanned 17 in 16.2 innings.
Wright said camaraderie will be important to Panthers' success. “It's always going to be a huge key for us if we can come together and be a like mind," he said.
The Panthers finished second in 6-1A last year, but have been moved to 5-1A, a strong region that includes Nanih Waiya and Ethel, which won Region 6 and reached the third round of the playoffs last year. Other teams in the region are McAdams and Noxapater.
