Top-ranked Holmes County chasing another ring
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – The Holmes County baseball team has surged to the top of the Rural Classification rankings and chasing its second state championship in four years.
The Blue Devils (13-3) look every bit a state title contender through the first half of the season.
Their only losses are to much larger high schools, including Arnold who they beat in their second matchup 9-1.
Holmes County is 6-0 against teams in the Rural Class and they defeated the defending state champions, Jay, in a come-from-behind thriller earlier this week.
Senior catcher and former Blountstown baseball standout, Tristan King transferred to Holmes County this spring in an attempt to help chase a state championship. He said the team has an incredible attention to detail which fuels their success.
'You can't go into a game and think, 'Oh, our goal for this game is to win the game,'' King said. 'You've got to win every pitch and every inning. You know, you take care of the little stuff and the big stuff can take care of itself.'
While the Blue Devils have five players with a .400 batting average or better (Bryant Mathis, Tristan King, Lyndan Flanary, Colby Powell, Rayce Griffin), their defense is their biggest strength.
Florida State University commit Lydan Flanary and Northwest Florida State signee Bradley Garrett lead a group of eight pitchers who have appeared on the mound this season.
Five pitchers have notched at least one win and Holmes County head coach Jeromy Powell says it has been a process to determine which arm to play in a particular situation.
'Getting all these guys on the mound when they need to be and when they want to be, it's two different times,' Powell said. 'You know what I'm saying? It's hard to balance it at times. But the locker room is bought into what we're doing and they understand what's going on. It was tougher at the beginning of the year, but it's something that we're really working out as we go.'
The Blue Devils have a mix of veteran leadership and veteran talent which is a perfect recipe for a deep playoff run.
Senior pitcher Bradley Garrett said the team's chemistry off of the field helps things on the field run smoothly.
'We really get together well on the field,' Garrett said. 'And another thing that helps that is we hang out a lot outside of baseball. So, it's not just baseball keeping us together and growing us close, we try to spend time together outside of baseball.'
As the top-ranked team in the Rural Class, Holmes County certainly has the rest of the state on high alert.
The consensus around the Blue Devils dugout is that a second state championship in four years in their only goal.
'I think we all believe in our hearts and know where we should be at the end of the season,' King said. 'And we know we go out there and do the little things and play the game the right way, we'll play with anybody no matter how big of a school it is, no matter who's on either side of the field.'
The Blue Devils will return from spring break with a road game at No. 8 ranked Cottondale on Monday, March 24.
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