CALEDONIA — Jantsen Glasgow and Zach O’Neil like to keep it simple.
While other players might twist themselves up in knots tweaking swings or deliveries, Glasgow and O’Neil have learned to embrace the tenets of hitting the ball the other way and throwing strikes.
Those strategies have allowed the Caledonia High School seniors to flourish and to help the Confederates build a five-game winning streak entering the home stretch of the season.
Last week, Glasgow went 5-for-13 with three runs scored and three RBIs in four games, while O’Neil pitched six strong innings in a victory against New Albany.
For their accomplishments, Glasgow and O’Neil are The Dispatch’s Prep Players of the Week.
O’Neil allowed only three hits in a 7-1 victory against New Albany on Saturday. He walked three and struck out 11. The win helped him improve to 3-2 with a 1.67 ERA. In 21 innings, he has allowed eight hits and walked 11. He has struck out 28. He said his cutter, which he learned last season, was working well against New Albany and helped him have a good day. He didn’t know Saturday would turn out to be that good of a day until he took the mound.
“I started really good in the first inning and just kept going,” O’Neil said. “I just tried to hit my spots. Wherever (catcher Houston Mims) wanted it I tried to hit it.”
O’Neil said getting ahead has been a key to his success. He said his goal every game is to throw strikes and to let his defense work behind him so he isn’t throwing a lot of pitches. While that plan might sound simple, it is another thing to execute it in pressure situations.
“It boosted my confidence way high,” O’Neil said. “I depend on them to make the plays behind me. I try to throw more contact pitches so they can make the plays in the field, but if they can’t hit it, they can’t hit it.”
Glasgow has played just as big a role on offense. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder entered Caledonia’s game against Louisville on Monday second on the team in batting average (.417) and first in hits (25), RBIs (18), home runs (two), and doubles (five).
Glasgow has rebounded from a junior season in which he hit .303. He admits he was disappointed in the season that saw him have zero home runs, five doubles, and nine RBIs and that he might have put too much pressure on himself. He credits coaches John Wilson, Mark Hysaw, and Cody Brownlee for helping him with an approach at the plate that is helping him put the ball in play and make solid contact. He said he also has put in the work at home, where he has a batting cage.
“I knew I had a lot of pressure on me coming in and I just have been trying to do as much as I can and not put too much pressure on myself,” Glasgow said.
A key to Glasgow’s ability to be a run-producer in the No. 3 hole has been his willingness to go the other way. He said his first home run of the season was an opposite-field grand slam. Glasgow said he is trying to have fun and not to let the nerves get to him. He also said he has squared up a little bit with his feet and he is trying to use his bottom half more. As a result, he said it is refreshing to be producing as much as he is in his final prep season.
“Last year, I knew I couldn’t hit opposite field to save my life,” Glasgow said. “This year, we work oppo every day. Sometimes we have two cages in (the field house where we work on hitting the ball the other way). I think over half of my hits this year have been to the opposite field.”
On Monday, Caledonia scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to earn a 12-10 victory against Louisville in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A, Region 4 game. The Confederates (12-8, 4-2 region) won their fifth game in a row after losing a 10-2 lead in the fifth.
Spencer Unruh pitched four innings and allowed four runs (one earned). he walked four and struck out seven. Caide Woods, Zane Bailey, and Cameron Allsup closed the game.
Jared Reed-Wood had two RBIs, Will Burton and Sam Cooper scored runs, Beau Bates was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, Seth Brown was 2-for-3 with to runs scored and an RBI, Glasgow was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two walks, a home run, and three RBIs, Jorden Hollowell had an RBI, Mims was 3-for-4 with an RBI, Logan Suggs was 2-for-5 with a double and three runs scored, and Allsup was 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Caledonia will play today at Houston in another Class 4A, Region 4 matchup. The teams will play Friday in Caledonia.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.