Red Devils seek return trip to state playoffs

By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
VINA - There's a different atmosphere surrounding the Vina baseball program these days, and coach Greg Hamilton says it has everything to do with last season's playoff appearance, the first for the Red Devils in 10 years.
"You can tell [the players] have been there," said Hamilton, whose team won 20 games last season and rose to No. 7 in the state rankings before falling to Marion County in the first roiund of the Class 1A playoffs. "The expectations are high for the kids. They expect to win now."
Those high hopes have not been dampened by the loss of a strong senior trio from last year, including ace pitcher Patrick McCarley.
"Replacing a 10-game winner will be extremely difficult," Hamilton said. "More than that, we have to replace the leadership that Patrick, J.P. [Cantrell] and Seth [Holmes] gave us. We've really got something good going with the baseball program here, though, and it's kind of like the kids coming back are stepping right in line. We have some guys who have really stepped up to take on the role of leaders on the team."
Chief among those new leaders are Gary Taylor and Kerry Lawler, the team's lone seniors, and junior Corey Scott. All told, the Red Devils return six starters from last year's team, though some of them will be playing different positions.
"With six starters back from last year, everybody knows this team has a chance to be pretty good," Hamilton said. "It all comes down to how hard they want to work, and so far they've been outstanding in that area. They do everything I ask them to do. That's what's great about these kids. As long as we stay together and play as a team, we've got a chance to be competitive."
Hamilton doesn't expect one individual to replace McCarley's 10 wins alone. Instead, the Red Devils will rely on a group of pitchers, including Taylor, Scott, junior Rodney Barnes and sophomore Max Weeks, to pick up the slack.
"All four of those guys have thrown for me before on the varsity level," Hamilton said.
Scott was Vina's No. 2 pitcher behind McCarley last season, and Taylor has the stuff to be the staff's ace–provided that he can avoid the bicep ailment that prevented him from pitching much last season.
"Gary's arm is healthy right now, and that's a big plus for us," Hamilton said. "The doctor says he's in good shape and there's no sign of inflammation or anything. We'll probably take it slow for a while. He'll be on a pitch count early."
Taylor's bat is just as important to the Red Devils as his arm. He hit .427 last year with a team-leading 13 home runs and 39 RBIs.
In an effort to keep him fresher and reduce the stress on his arm when he's not pitching, Taylor will move from behind the plate to shortstop and also see some time in the outfield.
Luke Childers, another returning starter, will handle the bulk of the catching duties, and Scott will also see some time behind the plate.
Whether he's pitching, catching or playing the field, Scott's bat will be key for the Red Devils. He hit .329 last season and knocked in 29 runs.
Lawler returns to center field, and he will take his .350 average to the leadoff spot to replace McCarley.
Weeks will bat second and play second, and Barnes returns to his starting spot in right field.
Sophomore Kyle Green will take over at third base, and Hamilton is counting on sophomore Anthony Hester and freshman Blake Thorn to replace Cantrell's productive bat and steady glove at first base.
Left field will likely be held down by sophomore Tony Jennings. Junior Preston Barksdale and freshman Randy Barnes will also see significant playing time as Vina's key reserves.
"We're still a fairly young team, but we have guys with experience," Hamilton said. "Guys like Gary, Corey and Kerry have been with us a long time."
Hamilton said that Vina's dependence upon "small ball" to produce runs will only increase with the loss of McCarley's speed at the top of the order.
"Last year, we had two guys [McCarley and Taylor] capable of stealing 30 or more bases," Hamilton said. "Half of that is gone now. We'll have to hit-and-run and bunt and do whatever it takes to move a guy up 90 feet. We really have to be solid in our situational hitting."
If the Red Devils hope to make a return trip to the state playoffs, they will do so from a different area.
Vina's area now includes Hackleburg, Marion County and Brilliant.
"Hackleburg has played for the state title the past two years, and Marion County made it to the semifinals a couple of years ago," Hamilton said. "Of course, in the other area we had Waterloo and Shoals Christian and teams like that, so this won't be much different. It's tough whichever way you go."