The JV baseball team started their season off on a high note, beating Paint Branch on March 21st in dominating fashion 19-0 with a no-hitter, and a victory over a strong Whitman team 13-12. The team is optimistic for their future with the baseball program.

The team is led by sophomore third baseman Malachiu Reid, who typically dominates at the plate. Against Paint Branch, Reid drove in a couple of runs in their 11-run second inning. 

The future of the program is in great hands. Freshman middle infielder AJ Shiflett is tearing it up at the plate on top of being one of the smoothest fielders the program has. He had multiple hits in the Whitman game and during the preseason scrimmages against private schools, he was still getting multiple hits a game. “I’m very happy about where we are as a team right now; we have great chemistry on top of lots of talent. I think that we can get through the season with an undefeated record if we all play up to our potential,” Shiflett said. 

After the Paint Branch game, the team faced one of the best JV teams in the county, Whitman, and they were able to pull off a thrilling victory 13-12. The team had big first and second innings, scoring 10 runs in those first two innings. Whitman kept on fighting back the whole game but it just was not enough. 

The team was dominant on the offensive side of the ball, getting 12 hits in six innings, and they were also solid in the field, only committing three errors. The team was led by Shiflett, sophomore pitcher Noah Parker, sophomore first baseman Justin Karis, and of course, Reid.

Freshman third baseman Jack Kerns is also a great new addition to the baseball program and thinks that the future is bright for the JV team. He is a strong hitter and his strong arm will go a long way at third base. “I can’t wait to see what the next couple of years possess for our team. We have a lot of great players and I think that we can make something special happen by the time we are on varsity,” Kerns said. 

The team’s schedule starts to get harder as they get into the middle of their season. They played Clarksburg on Monday, Mar. 28, Seneca Valley on Wednesday, Mar. 30, and then Whitman for the second time on Friday, Apr. 1.