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.”
