Although the Pace High School Patriot baseball team is continuing their winning ways with a current 12-4 regular season record and a 4-0 district record, the team is looking to snap a two-game losing streak during last week’s Spring Break when they traveled to Tallahassee.
“We didn’t have the week we wanted to,” said Jason McBride, the team’s head baseball coach. “Sometimes it takes dropping a game to get better. It will humble you a little bit, so I think some good came out of this past week.”
WATCH: Video of the Pace High School Patriot Baseball team at practice
The wake up call probably could not have come at a better time as the Patriots are scheduled to face their district opponent Tate High School later this week, beginning Thursday.
While McBride would like to see improvements on defensive play, the baseball coach has been pleased with how the team has performed at bat.
“We have been hitting all year that has not been an issue,” he said. “We won a lot of one-run ball games this year and that is a testament to these guys because they keep fighting.”
While the team has been undefeated at home thus far, the Patriots have lost four games while on the road both last week in Tallahassee and earlier this season while on the road in Georgia.
Senior Chase Beckstrom, who plays second base and infield for the Patriots, believes the team is ready for their upcoming opponent Tate.
“If we win both of those games that would be big for us,” Beckstrom said. “I feel like we are definitely ready.”
The key to success is maintaining the right mindset, Beckstrom said.
“Sometimes we will lose our focus in a game and if we are winning big, I still think we should remain focused,” he said.
Teammate Connor Howton, who plays at shortstop and pitcher, agrees his team can at times lose focus. However, the junior classman believes everyone is pulling their weight on this year’s varsity roster.
“Even the seniors get out there and work as hard as everybody else and they are great leaders,” Howton said. “We got a chance to go far this year.”
While the Patriots won their district last season, they lost in a 13-inning playoff game against Oakleaf High School, 1-0.
Jason Barlow, who pitches and plays in the outfield for the Patriots, anticipates the team will be ready especially when playing key district opponents.
“When we went to Georgia or when we went to Tallahassee, we averaged two or three errors a game,” Barlow said. “When we play district, we buckle down.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Baseball: Patriots continue winning ways with 12-4 record