New York Yankees Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra was known for his lighthearted phrases almost as much as his stellar play on the diamond.
One of those phrases appears to be right on par for the Shady Spring baseball squad this year.
“It’s like deja vu all over again.”
Unless someone has been under a rock somewhere, they are well aware that Shady Spring is celebrating another state championship basketball title with its win last week over Fairmont Senior.
The key to that victory was a group of talented players that waited their turn following the graduation of a talented senior class. A veteran group which groomed the younger players for their own title quest.
The hoops story is very similar to the baseball team this year.
Shady has played in the last four basketball championship games, winning two titles.
The baseball team has made the state tournament three of the last four times the event was played.
Spring sports were not played in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
Now the time has come for a new band of Tigers to step into the spotlight and write their own chapter in the postseason history book.
“We lost six seniors from last year and we return three starters,” Shady Spring head coach Jordan Meadows said. “We have Jake (Meadows), Aiden Calvert and Brody Seabolt back.”
Meadows was named the Class AA all-state first team captain last year after hitting .426 with a .578 on-base percentage out of the lead-off position.
Monday afternoon at his official signing to play baseball next year at Glenville State University, the coaches brother made his mission clear.
“I want to prove to people that we are still the top dogs in the section and region,” Jake said. “I want to be back at states and I want to show these younger guys what it is like to be at states. I want to lead the team to be the best.”
Calvert and Seabolt both played over 30 games last season as sophomores and should make large contributions this year.
“Aiden started in left field and will move to shortstop. Brody started at third base for us and will be our catcher,” Meadows said. “Those three guys will be relied upon this season.”
The Tigers will have a couple of hoopsters on the team as well with the return of senior Gavin Davis and junior Jalon Bailey.
“Gavin will be playing baseball for the first time since freshman year,” Meadows said. “Jalon got some time before getting hurt last year. He will be our starting outfielder.”
The losses were heavy for Shady Spring on the mound, but the Tigers do have a rising star they hope will fill the gap at the top of the rotation.
“Sam Barnett will be our ace,” Meadows said. “He is one of those guys that will try to out-work you.”
Barnett won his first start of the season over Greenbrier East earlier this week.
The hard throwing sophomore, along with Meadows with be the 1-2 punch for Shady Spring this year. After that it will be a work in progress.
“We are looking at Jalon to be our No. 3. He has been coming to our practices during basketball and has been throwing pretty good,” Meadows said. “Aiden Brown is a lefty and Mookie Cox are probably our top five right now, but it will be anybody that can throw strikes.”
Cox came over this year from Beckley and gives Meadows a versatile player in the middle infield this year.
“He is a scrappy guy that plays second base and maybe some shortstop when Aiden pitches,” Meadows explained. “He will be a bottom of the line-up guy that we will depend on to get some hits, so when Jake and Aiden all come up, we can score some runs.”
Carter Pack returns and will give Shady more senior leadership and Meadows like what he has seen in a freshman newcomer.
“We have a freshman, Noah Fox, who really impresses me. He is quick,” Meadows said. “He will be a middle infielder and may play a little bit of third base. Those will be some key guys for us.”
The basketball team was projected to make the state championship game, but many around the state gave the edge to the Polar Bears in the title tilt.
The baseball team will share that underdog status once the postseason rolls around in early May.
“That is just like basketball,” Bailey said. “People want to doubt us, that just gives us more encouragement and more determination to prove more people wrong.”
