Smith building on RHS baseball’s legacy
On the surface, the early season results for the Golden Tigers may not catch the attention of fans. However, head coach Jess Smith said the early losses will hopefully provide his squad with enough experience to propel Russellville to another deep playoff run.
Through the first few weeks of the season, the Golden Tigers have battled against some of the best high school baseball competition across the state of Alabama, including Briarwood Christian, Mars Hill, Tuscaloosa County and James Clemens.
While the current record might not necessarily be where he wants it, Smith is optimistic by season’s end the Golden Tigers will be right where they need to be.
“The best thing that has happened is learning from these games and it’s allowed us to tailor our practices and gameplans to focus on what we need to do in order to get better,” Smith said. “It’s all about giving our team an opportunity to work and identify what needs to be done so they can make adjustments and we’ll be ready to go when area play gets here.”
At the plate, Smith said he’s been very encouraged with what he has seen early on, especially when it comes to being able to hit for both power and contact.
Junior Tristan Ray will lead the offensive charge for the Golden Tigers this year, Smith said, along with sophomore Caleb Hawkins – both of whom already have multiple home runs.
“Those two guys (Ray and Hawkins) are going to anchor us, but we have several other guys who are capable of handling big responsibilities in our lineup as well,” Smith said. “Those guys are able to bring a blend of different things to the plate that helps us out.”
Junior Tripp Cleveland and Senior Brayden Entrekin will also play pivotal roles for the Golden Tigers, he said.
On the mound, Smith will have the luxury of utilizing three returning starting pitchers. Ty Engelthaler, Entriken and Cleveland will man the rotation for Russellville’s most important games this year.
While Smith knows for certain that he has in his three returning starters, he said the start of the season has provided a glimpse at some other promising arms he can turn to when needed. One bright spot has been junior Jackson Smith who tossed six perfect innings against Hamilton.
“It’s been a pleasant surprise to us so far early in the year to find guys we feel like could serve in different roles for us,” Smith said. “The staff is anchored by some vets and only one of them is a senior. So, we like where we’re at with our pitching staff.”
The ultimate goal is to get to the playoffs and make a deep run, possibly culminating in a title. While the going is tough at the moment, Smith said he’s confident the Golden Tigers will be ready to go when it matters most.
“We’ve been through a juggernaut with the front half of our schedule and that was intentional because I feel like this team is capable of winning an area championsip and making a run into the playoffs,” Smith said. “There’s probably a lot of people who will raise their eyebrows at that statement right now, but you can’t win a championship in February or March.”
