The postseason for Class AA Region 3, Section 2 baseball has provided some high drama and must-see theater the last few seasons.
Comprised of Shady Spring, Independence, Nicholas County and Liberty, the sectional tournament has provided wild finishes, big-time comebacks and some stunning upsets.
Early indications point to yet another exciting ride once postseason play arrives in early-to-mid May.
Nicholas County enters the 2024 campaign as the favorite by many in Section 2 which has been a tough banner to tote over the years.
While the general consensus may be that Nicholas County is the team to beat, that is not quite the mindset of the Grizzlies.
“We knew the target was going to be on their backs and we felt like we had to talk about it early,” Nicholas County head coach D.J. Martin said. “We wanted to get their minds right to handle that, well before the season started.”
“I think the guys have handled it well,” Martin went on to say. “In their minds, they are still the underdog because they haven’t won (the section) yet. We have been the underdogs trying to find a way to play with the teams in this section the last few years.”
One positive for Nicholas County, as Martin sees it, is the fact that the Grizzlies are the only team among the four combatants not located in the Raleigh County arena.
“The good part of it is we are kind of the outlier,” Martin said. “Not being from this area, we are not around it everyday. They need to have that underdog mentality.”
The Grizzlies were agonizingly close to the sectional championship last year after stunning No. 1 seed Shady Spring in the first tournament meeting, advancing to the championship of the double-elimination format.
Unfortunately for Nicholas County, the Tigers rallied to take the title with back-to-back wins thanks to two incredible pitching performances and solid defense.
Even though there are some noticeable names missing due to graduation, Nicholas County returns a strong nucleus that has weathered some tough battles throughout their career.
Martin believes his team is primed to make some noise.
“As far as the overall group, we have the tools we need to be successful this year,” Martin said. “With the way last year ended, they are very determined and that is all you can ask for from kids.”
“We have the arms that we need and we have a complete line-up,” Martin continued. “There is great leadership with Grayson (Kesterson) and Cole (Brown). They are a couple of guys that have started since they were freshman and built this thing up for us.”
Brown is coming off a strong junior season where he was 7-3 on the hill. He led the team in pitching appearances and also had a pair of saves.
Over 54.1 innings of work, the hard-throwing righty recorded a 2.59 ERA, surrendered just 19 earned runs and fanned 94 batters.
This year Brown is 3-0 out of the gate, allowing only two earned runs with 31 strikeouts over 17 innings.
“We have a lot of arms right now. We just need to get some games in to get the younger ones ready,” Martin said. “We feel very comfortable with Brown, Mylott and (Coleton) Hellums. Those were the ones that fought those battles on the mound last year and had some success.”
Mylott was 3-2 in 2023 and appeared in 11 games. Over 30.2 innings of work he fanned 54 batters and allowed 13 hits. Hellums also pitched in 11 games with a 2.27 ERA and was 3-1 for the season. He also recorded 38 strikeouts across 24.2 innings.
“(Lucas) Milam had a good year last year. We just need more games to get him back in a rhythm,” Martin said. “Braden Brown, Cole’s younger brother, is coming right along as a pitcher as well. We also have more (players) that can pitch well at the varsity level. Pitching is not a concern for us, we just need need to get those guys the work that they need.”
Brown, Kesterson, Mylott and Caleb Burns were all solid at the plate last year, but the Grizzlies go much deeper with several players that can hit the ball.
“The key for us at the plate will be not trying to do too much. We don’t have to have one part of our line-up carry us each night,” Martin said. “They have to understand that. The only time we have struggled is when we have guys trying to do too much. Hopefully we can get that out of their head.”
Martin’s confidence in his squad also goes deeper than the nine players he has on the field.
“We feel like we have a quality varsity player sitting in the dugout each night. Depending on who is pitching, the line-up will change daily,” Martin said. “We have been successful so far with a different part of our line-up carrying us each game.”
Go-Mart Park in Charleston is the ultimate goal for the state baseball tournament. It is also believed to be a stop that the Grizzlies have never made over the years.
While Charleston remains the desired destination, Martin wants his team focused only on the task at hand.
“Right now we are trying to take it one game at a time, keep their heads right and improve everyday,” Martin explained. “They have a goal. Right now the goal is to do everything we can to not go home in sectionals. We will work on the next step after that.”