Briarwood baseball rounding into form

Pitching and defense are going to have to lead the way for the Briarwood Christian School baseball team this spring. 

The Lions were one of the top teams in Class 5A last season, finishing with a 27-5 record and falling to the eventual champion, Faith Academy, in the quarterfinals. They could win games any way needed, with an offense capable of scoring runs and a pitching staff that shut down many opponents.

But the losses of run-producers such as Cole Steadman, Will Baumbach and Kolby Kwarcinski and two-way players such as Logan Whittlesey and Sam Strickland leave a tough void to fill.

Add in the decisions of JR Tran-Reno and Gabriel Russell to focus on football, and the Lions have had to shuffle the deck.

“Offensively, we really have not put together a lot of great games,” head coach Steve Renfroe said. “Some things have happened for us and we’ve been able to get some wins. We’ve pitched well and for the most part our infield defense has been really good.”

Michael Hiers and Jonah Carroll have stepped up as two of the Lions’ top pitchers, along with Noah Whatley. Renfroe is mixing and matching beyond those three, in hopes of finding other guys that can solidify roles on the pitching staff. 

“We’re trying to find out who’s going to close for us and hopefully a few extra bullpen guys,” he said.

At the top of the lineup, Sam Hamner, Hiers, Carson Eddy and Hudson Hartsfield have provided the Lions with stability, getting on base at a high clip. But there haven’t been enough extra-base hits along the way to accelerate the offense into high gear. 

“Lot of inexperience after the first four guys,” Renfroe said. “After that, you’ve got freshmen and guys that haven’t really played.”

There have certainly been flashes from the younger players, such as freshman Wesley Helms’ 4-for-4, two-RBI performance against Tuscaloosa County on March 9. 

“We’re getting better and so you just can’t press. Hopefully some of the young guys are going to grow with experience and we’ll get a big hit and that gets contagious sometimes,” Renfroe said.

Renfroe is hopeful that the grueling schedule Briarwood has played at the beginning of the season will pay off down the road, as the younger players gain valuable playing time and grow more comfortable.

“That’s why we play,” he said. “We hope it is. We’re hopeful for that. It’s a great bunch to go to work with. They’re super, super kids.”

In the early portion of the schedule, Briarwood played state playoff contenders Hewitt-Trussville, Mountain Brook, Chelsea and Oak Mountain.

Ultimately, the Class 5A, Area 8 games against Sylacauga, Moody and Shelby County will determine the Lions’ postseason fate. That’s why Renfroe chose to play some of the top teams in Class 6A and 7A.

“That’s going to get us prepared, but we’re still going to have to play defense and pitch,” he said.

If the Lions can do those things, they should be more than capable of advancing into the playoffs yet again. If nothing else, they seem to have the intangibles needed to make it happen. 

“They show up and play,” Renfroe said. “It’s a great bunch, they’re unafraid and they’re going to show up and give a great effort.”