FAIRLEA, WV (WOAY) – You can be a dirt bagger, a bulldog, a rat, or a rock. For Greenbrier East Baseball, it’s figuring out which one you are and how you can contribute to the team.
Head Coach Cory Mann explains, “It’s just about the mental game–a big focus on being present in the moment, believing in yourselves, executing on the play in front of you and doing your job to help the team out.”
It seems like the Spartans are catching on that idea. Since implementing that mentality, they’ve won four in a row. One of those meant a little more.
“I pitched in the first Oak Hill game last year and we lost that one obviously, and I didn’t pitch in the first one [this year] and it killed me watching it from first base. I was glad I could go in the second game and shut them down,” said senior Jake Roshau.
Roshau’s six innings and nine strikeouts propelled the Spartans to an 11-0 win over the Red Devils on Friday.
“I had to keep it down in the zone because that’s all they were calling. Keeping it down in the zone and blowing it by them is what I relied on,” Roshau added.
He’s not the only one who shoved on the mound last week; Darris Boswell threw six innings against both James Monroe and George Washington. He allowed just three runs all week.
Boswell said, “We pitched pretty good all night, didn’t have many walks. They started me and I went to the sixth inning.”
The junior gets a little uncomfortable talking about his own success, but he’s certainly not shy raving about his teammates.
“The last pitcher [George Washington] had loaded the bases by walks and Chris Heaster ended up hitting a walk-off to win the game,” added Boswell.
That key pitch for Heaster came on a 3-2 count.
“He threw me a pitch I really wanted. My eyes got big, and I just did what I had to do and got the double to win the game,” he explained.
People say it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. The Spartans are hoping that’s the case as they enter the final weeks of the regular season.
