MILLPORT, Ala. — Imagine getting a second chance, of sorts.
A chance to right what you considered a wrong — a bad pitch, an errant throw to first, a swing at the plate that was too aggressive.
“We wanted another shot at ”em, so we got it,” said Lane Wright, baseball coach at South Lamar High School.
A chance to show the kind of improvements a season later can make. To show you belong in the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 1A state semifinals. To show that while you”re happy to be here, you”re not satisfied with just being here.
“We finally got a chance to play them,” said Jordan Smith, a junior center fielder. “We”re going to show what we could do.”
Starting today, when South Lamar (17-12) plays its highly anticipated rematch against defending Class 1A champion Shoals Christian (29-21), the Stallions are ready to unveil the newfound mental aptitude they developed after losing the 2010 version of their best-of-three series.
Last season, South Lamar was a young, inexperienced team that enjoyed postseason success sooner than it was ready to handle it. Shoals Christian had seven home runs in the opening game of the series, which rattled South Lamar”s confidence and left it with little fight in Game 2.
Wright, then in his first season, hadn”t injected his lineup with the level of mental fortitude necessary to recover from mistakes in such pressure situations, or the type of competitiveness needed to aim for a win no matter the opponent.
It”s good to be grateful to reach the state semifinals, but once you”re here, the goal is to reach the state championship series.
To get here, Wright”s players endured a regular-season schedule that placed them against some of the most successful programs in Alabama and Mississippi. The Stallions won a couple of these games, lost a couple, and were blown out in a couple. Those games, Wright said, are the reason South Lamar is still alive in the 1A playoffs.
“Folks in the community say, ”They have a losing record; they”re not nearly as good as so and so,” ” Wright said. “Our record”s going to show in the playoffs.”
Wright isn”t guaranteeing a win. He knows better. What he is forecasting is a South Lamar team that will stand up to its more experienced opponent and will stay focused through mistakes.
Make a mistake? Shake it off and move on.
Hit a home run? Great. Now hit another one.
“We just don”t feel like we can get beat against this year,” said junior catcher Hank Parker, whom Wright called the most improved player in terms of work ethic. Parker leads South Lamar in batting average (.479), home runs (six), and RBIs (37). He has been just as good behind the plate, whether its blocking balls or throwing out every Hackleburg High runner that tested him last week in the quarterfinal series.
Then there”s Dakota Dawkins (.354, 23 RBIs). One of two South Lamar seniors, Dawkins” play at second base and on the mound has been inspirational. His fastball hovers around 70 mph, Wright said, and he doesn”t have a curveball that twists and turns en route to the plate.
So why is Dawkins” 5-2 record the best on the squad?
“He just competes and he doesn”t give in,” Wright said. “It”s paying off for us.”
Smith (.363, 26 RBIs) is one of the team”s most athletic players, a trait he utilizes to track down balls in the outfield. Earlier this week, he thought back to one of South Lamar”s goals at the beginning of the season: Play Shoals Christian again. Now that it”s here, he”s preparing for the challenge.
“Nobody thinks we have a chance,” Smith said, “but all of us think we do.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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