Photo by Erin Nelson.
Spain Park’s Clay Spencer (6) swings at a pitch in a game against Briarwood at Spain Park High School on March 24. The Jags defeated the Lions 5-3.
The Spain Park High School baseball team appears to be hitting its stride at the perfect time.
The Jags parlayed the momentum from some pivotal wins in March into a strong start to Class 7A, Area 6 play, locking up a playoff spot by mid-April.
“Going into the season, we knew we had a lot of experienced guys back, a lot of veteran guys back, some of which had been on varsity for two and three years,” Spain Park head coach Will Smith said. “We really purposefully tried to make our schedule as difficult as possible.”
Following a loss to Vestavia Hills on March, the Jags won 12 of their next 14 games, with half of those coming in games won by two runs or less. Winning those tight games has been a big boost for Spain Park.
“It gets contagious from a psychological standpoint,” Smith said. “You beat good teams and play close games. From our standout, it’s been very beneficial. Being in those things and being successful and finding the right ingredients in kids that can play and perform under pressure was very valuable for us.”
Smith said the Jags have been playing great defensively after shuffling things around. Evan Smallwood is now at third base, Aiden Berke has moved into the shortstop spot, James Battersby has moved over to second base and Cole Edwards is playing first.
Spain Park’s bats have also been performing at a high level.
“One through six in our order has carried us and it’s been a different guy each night that gets the big hit,” Smith said. “Having Evan, Cole, [Jacob] Tobias and Clay [Spencer] at the top of the order, then add Matthew Widra and Battersby, that has been very good all year long.”
Smith said the bottom third of the order has also been coming through in pivotal moments, and those guys continuing to do so will help in a big way.
The Jags’ pitching staff has benefited from the offense’s success and is having success in its own right. Lucas Thornton has thrown the first games of the area series, with CJ Gross starting games as well. JR Thompson has been an effective closer, and Smith mentioned guys like Tobias and Blake Patrick that will provide critical innings down the stretch.
“The ability to throw a lot of strikes and play good defense behind is a good recipe and allows you to be successful,” Smith said.
There is an opportunity for Spain Park to make a run down the stretch, as the Jags have been a top-five team in 7A as of the middle of April.
“I’ve always thought it’s a special group,” Smith said. “It’s a group that’s got an opportunity to do something special.”
Knowing the quality of all the 7A teams across the Birmingham area, there’s always a thin line between making a deep run in the playoffs or facing a premature ending to the season.
Smith is not putting any specific goals on his team’s back for the month of May. But he hopes to get the chance to coach them for several more weeks.
“There’s a lot of high character, a lot of valuable intangibles in the group, as well as a lot of ability, too,” he said. “Obviously, I hope we have an opportunity to play postseason baseball for several weeks.”
