BASEBALL TAB: Southern Wayne outlook

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on March 11, 2016 1:48 PM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- Chalk stretches down the lines, faintly.

A tarp, folded into something similar to a bundle of game laundry, blankets the mound. In straightaway center, under a high noon sun, Old Glory keeps steady its salute of No. 9's wooden jersey.

The Doyle Whitfield Baseball Complex at Southern Wayne High School is quiet on this day.

Church quiet.

But over the coming months, that will change.

The hymns of Saints and patron Saints, both seeking redemption from last season's lopsided campaign, will echo from home plate to the spine of Walter Fulcher Road.

That spirit -- long a staple of baseball at Southern -- is something third-year head coach Jackson Massey has worked tirelessly to ensure.

"It's (the culture) just more loose and relaxed," he said. "The kids enjoy it more, feel less pressure."

That notion -- playing loose, with freedom -- is perhaps the crown jewel of Massey's first graduating class. For many teams, even units who win prodigiously, it remains the ghost they cannot catch.

At Southern Wayne, it's been earned through preparation.

Long before these Saints were 10 upperclassmen policing themselves and leading trash-can-is-your-best-friend circuit workouts, they were freshmen and sophomores balancing varsity chores and the arrival of a driver's license.

Liking the work was optional.

And as one might expect, the inconsistencies were glaring. A playoff appearance in 2014 gave way to just five wins a year ago, which gave way to this offseason's process of reinvention.

It's a time the red and blue are better for enduring, sure -- but one Massey is glad to have contained squarely in the rear view mirror.

"We have about as much experience as you could want in a team, and that really helps them mix well with the younger guys -- they look out for each other," he said.

And if there is a uniformed, recruiting-poster embodiment of the Saints' rebranding under Massey, it exists in the comeback tale of Josh Jernigan.

The senior -- who struggled mightily last year -- went to work this offseason, scrapping what didn't measure up and reclaiming what did. A diligent student of the game, he is retooled and ready for what his skipper believes will a memorable final season.

"Josh went from getting game winning hits in the playoffs (as a sophomore) to... I don't know if he batted .200 last year, " Massey explained. "But he's had the best offseason -- he's been the true leader of the team since fall workouts started."

It's a vibe that appears contagious at Southern. Jernigan and fellow senior Hunter Barwick, who hit .359 with 11 RBI last year, are passing the torch to younger, promising counterparts.

Players like Aryc Chrisman and Jack Casbarro, both sophomores who learned in shotgun-trial fashion a year ago, will take those lessons into prominent roles this spring.

"A lot of our innings were pitched by those guys last year, and they had ups and downs -- but experience is experience," Massey said.

As expected, Massey's third installment will lean primarily on its pitching -- a mixture of gas and deep count finesse -- but will also work to provide run support. Last season, the Saints averaged just 3.13 runs per contest -- a number that has been scrutinized by players and coaches alike.

This year, they will improve it through preparation, through balance, through persistence at every turn -- going all-in for something bigger than yourself.

At Southern Wayne, it's how you earn things.

"We're not trying to be anybody we're not," Massey said.