Players on the Central School baseball team are enjoying the rest of their spring break vacation after defeating district rival Laurel Hill School on Tuesday night, 17-0. Not only does this week’s victory leave the team with a 8-1 record, it also improves their district record to 7-0.
The Jaguars are sending a message to their District 1A opponents by recently defeating rival Paxton School on March 12.
“They have won seven district championships in a row,” said Mike Roberts, Central’s head baseball coach. “They are a hard team to beat. Being able to go over there and being able to beat them at their place…was big for our guys.”
Regarding the Jaguar’s recent success, Roberts credits the team’s mental and physical approach towards each matchup.
“We are going to out work everybody,” he said.
Dalton Dulap, one of the team’s starting pitchers, believes the team should have an undefeated record. The Jaguars currently have one loss to Northview High School.
“Truthfully, we should be undefeated,” he said. “We kind of let the game slip away against Northview.”
However the team is in good shape for the remaining season ahead, Dunlap said.
“Everybody is staying upbeat and focusing on the task at hand,” Dunlap said. “It’s just having that mentality to go out there and try to do the best you can.”
Fellow senior Justin Abel, who is also a starting pitcher and plays both infield and outfield for the Jaguars, said this is one of the most successful starts for a Jaguar baseball team he has been a part of.
“This is the best offense and defense we have had here in a long time,” Abel said. “I knew our defense was going to be as good as it was, but with our batting we have picked it up this year.”
In their last three games against district opponents Poplar Springs, Ponce de Leon and Laurel Hill, the Jaguars have scored runs in the double digits.
In addition to praising the hard work of the players for the team’s current success, assistant coach Mike Phillips also credits the leadership of Roberts.
“The program is lucky to have him,” Phillips said. “(Roberts) puts them in the direction they need to go, when they follow that (the team) is successful.”
Since the Jaguars are off to a successful start, Phillips said the players have confidence going into each game.
“They have grasped the attitude now that they expect to win, they don’t go out there intimidated,” Phillips said.
Roberts said the team’s overall preparation is the team’s key to success.
“They are leaving everything out on the field, which is all we ask of them, and our coaching staff prepares them very well,” Roberts said. “It’s all going to turn out in the way it’s supposed to in a game and it has so far.”
Next week, the Jaguars will host Jay High School on Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. The Jaguars are then scheduled to travel to Northview on the following day at 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Central: Jaguars firing on all cylinders with 8-1 record in baseball