After upsetting Halls, Mavs fall to Central
Wyatt Cox slides back to first as the Red Devils pitcher throws to first to try to catch him off base. The Mavs won 9-1. (photo:Collin Riggs )
Despite taking the lead in the first inning and holding the Central Bobcats to only two runs for five innings, the bottom of the sixth saw Central put five runs on the board, giving the Bobcats the 7-1 win as the Mavs struggled at the plate through the seventh inning.
That loss put a stop to the Mavericks’ postseason hopes and ended a mixed season for the team.
Luke Lowery, Wyatt Cox and Connor Tackett all led at the plate, getting on base, with Connor Tackett finishing with four quality-at-bats.
Meanwhile, Connor Martin led the team on the mound, finishing with 17 first-pitch strikes and two strikeouts.
The Central game left the Mavericks with a final record of 12-19 for the season.
Mavericks Coach Cory Stooksbury, spoke about how the team fared this season.
“It was a roller coaster,” he said. “There were ups and downs, but at the end of the day, even through the rough patches, we learned some stuff. You’re going to make mistakes, and if you don’t get better from those mistakes, that’s not good. I think we did, though. I think we got better.”
Injuries hurt the team, he said..
“The injury bug plagued us, but it allowed us to find some talent that we may or may not have realized we had,” Stooksbury said. “Freshman Aydin Bond threw a lot of meaningful innings for us. He started every day for over half a year. Another freshman, Lane Fletcher, we used as a defensive replacement a lot. Freshman Gavin Hill got to throw quite a few innings and get some experience. Sophomore Hunter Davis got to throw.
“Connor Tackett was probably our most improved, and I honestly think you could ask him and he’d say he struggled at the beginning,” Stooksbury said. “The last third of the season, though, he was one of our best. I mean, both on the mound and at the plate. He came on a lot midway through that last third and he played really well for us. Aydin Bond was right behind him. Bond improved all year as a freshman. He was definitely a little nervous at the beginning, but by the end, he was an everyday guy and got more comfortable.”
Stooksbury mentioned his most valuable players for the season, as well as just how hard the loss of his two seniors will be for the team.
“Tanner Goins was awesome,” he said. “He and Jacob Brock, the two seniors, were awesome as both leaders and ball players. Connor Tackett and Luke Lowery really stood out for us. Luke mainly excelled in the outfield and at the plate, and Connor mainly excelled at the plate and on the mound, playing multiple spots in the infield. Connor Martin threw it well for us.
“I’ll have 11 seniors next year, so it should be interesting, but the seniors are a big loss to us this year. Usually when you tell people you’re only losing two seniors, they say, ‘Well at least you’re not losing a lot.’ We are, though. We’re losing a lot this year, both on and off the field. Off the field, we’re actually losing more, I think, because both of those guys did such a good job at leading and putting everyone in the right direction. It’s going to be hard without them.”
Stooksbury said he plans to hold informal summer games on Tuesdays after the end of the school year. With so many of his players traveling for summer ball, he expects it to be a good opportunity for whoever is still around.
“Rather than joining a summer league, we’re going to try to schedule some summer games on Tuesday evenings at six o’clock and just get whoever is around to come out and play,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is have a game scheduled and have to call whoever is in the league and tell them we don’t have the guys for it, ’cause our guys play summer ball all over the country, and their schedules get crazy.
“I’ll probably call Coach Stacy and just say, ‘Hey, do you want to play next week?’”
Stooksbury also said the team will be hosting the kids’ camp June 14-16 and any parents who are interested can contact him about it.