COVINGTON, Ga. — Alcovy’s baseball team didn’t want to wait another near decade before making the playoffs again. So, after qualifying last year as the No. 4 seed, the Tigers are playoff bound as the No. 3 seed from Region 3-AAAAAA.
Head coach Kareem Hayes expressed how proud he was of his first group at the helm.
“We’re still coming together and playing as a team,” Hayes said. “Before every game, I say, ‘Let’s play Alcovy baseball.’ They’re still growing and learning, not just as baseball players, but as young men.”
A plethora of Tigers stepped up to make this playoff berth possible.
Reece Payne leads Alcovy batting .455 along with 22 RBIs. Cooper Duncan’s 23 RBIs is a team-high also with his .315 batting average. Connor Merritt (20), CJ Salmon (22), Parker Gassman (20) and Rodgis Ponder Jr. (21) each have 20-plus RBIs followed by Hunter Parker’s 17.
Parker has also gone 7-1 on the mound this season with a 2.47 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched. Duncan has assisted in the pitching effort as well throwing for 40.1 innings and recording a 3.64 ERA and 47 strikeouts.
When asked which players have stepped up, Hayes couldn’t narrow it down to anyone in particular.
“It’s a whole team effort with us,” Hayes said. “Everybody on this team does something special. Really, if I have to answer, I’ll just have to say the Alcovy Tigers.”
Qualifying for the Class AAAAAA playoffs is something this year’s Alcovy team has aimed for since offseason workouts and leading up to the Tigers’ first game on Feb. 13.
The goal has been so prevalent for the Tigers that they have worked to simulate a playoff atmosphere in practice. Hayes believes that, by doing so, Alcovy will have a better shot at advancing past the first round.
“It definitely benefits us because we practice with game like speed,” Hayes said. “So, when the game comes, it comes easy and natural for [the players]. Practicing with high intensity prepares the boys not only physically but mentally as well.”
Alcovy (17-9, 9-4 in Region 3-AAAAAA) is set to face Marist High School in round one. The Tigers will travel to face the No. 2 seeded War Eagles on Saturday, April 22. Marist finished its regular season at 18-11-1 overall with a 13-4-1 record in Region 4-AAAAAA.
The doubleheader will commence at 1 p.m. with game two following after. If the two teams split the two games on Saturday, game No. 3 will be played on Monday, April 24.
Hayes has full faith that his team is ready for the challenge ahead, if they do one thing.
“Don’t make the game bigger than what it is,” Hayes said. “It’s still a game at the end of the day and we’re going to treat it like it’s a regular game. Like I tell the players, ‘Take it one game and one inning at a time.’”
