The Central School varsity baseball team continued their impressive post season run with a 4-1 victory over Graceville High School on Tuesday in the regional semifinals. Currently, Blountstown is the only varsity team standing between the Jaguars and final four state semifinals. With a record of 17-5, Central is scheduled to host Blountstown on Friday at 7 p.m.
Mike Roberts, Central’s head baseball coach, said his team is “hungry.”
“It would have been easy for them to be intimidated when we got over to Graceville and say ‘this is as far as we get,’ but they executed a game plan We won the ballgame and now we are ready to move on,” he said.
Roberts is confident his team has the ability to make it to the final four, a feat the Jaguars have never accomplished in the program’s history.
“I think we are pretty solid in all aspects of the game,” he said. “One part of our game does not dominate the other.”
Roberts credits the play of the team’s pitching and play on defense.
“Our pitching has been great all year; they have kept us in ball games and kept scores low and they have enabled us to win ballgames without having to score (multiple) runs,” Roberts said.
Aaron Robinson, who plays third base and pitches for the team, has a confident approach towards Friday’s matchup.
“As long we keep doing what we know how to do, we will win that game,” Robinson said. “If one of our guys strikes out, then you can count on the next guy to get on base.”
Robinson, a junior classman, said he will take on a leadership role as a senior next year, while several seniors are leaving following graduation.
“Next year is going to be a big rebuilding year for the program and I understand we may not be back (to this point) next year,” Robinson said.
Alex Johnson, who plays right field for the Jaguars, believes the team is in good hands with the incoming talent and coaching.
“The work we have done this year is going to carry over to next year,” Johnson said. “They got a lot of talent here that is not leaving and we have some kids from JV that will help out, so I think they are going to have a good season next year,”
Coach Roberts agrees.
“These guys know what they need to do in order to get there,” Roberts said. “It will be something for us to build upon, it will make them hungry for next year.”
Should Central win on Friday night, the Jaguars would then play the winner of the Northview High School versus Bozeman High School, thier game is scheduled for the same time on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Baseball: Central one game away from State Semifinals