In Strawberry Crest High School’s eight years of existence, there’s never been a baseball season quite like this one.
The Chargers, sitting on a 12-3 record (4-1 district) as of press time, are poised to finish the 2017 regular season with the best record in program history. While that’s no small feat on its own, Crest has found ways to get in the wins column with one of the younger rosters in Hillsborough County baseball.
“Chemistry has just been great for us this year,” head coach Eric Beattie says. “I’ve had very hard-working teams in the past, but they love each other. Coaches, parents, players — chemistry is phenomenal and we’re all in support of each other … it’s kind of been our formula for success so far.”
With just two seniors and five juniors on the roster, the Chargers count on their youngest players to help get the job done. Thus far, those young guys have delivered. Three of the team’s top five batters — Tanner Kelley, Ben Pues and Jacob Heath — are sophomores, and its two most-used pitchers — Alex Marshall and Brent May, are a sophomore and a freshman, respectively.
“Seven of our players have never played in a varsity game,” Beattie says. “Six to seven of our starting nine had never played varsity baseball.”
At the plate, Crest isn’t exactly flashy: the team has a .235 average, and its 62 runs scored makes for the second-lowest total in the district. Kelley, Pues and Heath are all batting over .260, with Kelley’s .318 average leading the way, and no Charger has more RBI than Heath’s eight. Junior Antonio Mussenden sports a .310 average, and Marshall rounds out the top five with his .286 average.
But with a .329 on-base percentage, the Chargers are doing what’s important: producing with runners in scoring position.
Crest’s pitchers have been close to untouchable this season, allowing just 26 runs for a 1.68 team average. Marshall has been money through 40.2 innings, sporting a 1.20 ERA and giving up just seven earned runs, but junior Damien Torres leads the pack with a 1.15 ERA through 42.2 innings, and seven earned runs allowed.
Backing the pitchers up is a defense that’s making plays about 95% of the time, giving the Chargers a district-low 45 runs allowed on the season. It’s the lowest season total among district teams, but only Wharton has allowed fewer runs (seven) in 8A-4 play.
Perhaps most notably, the Chargers have made huge strides in away play. Last year, including the preseason and postseason, Crest won six and lost six on the road. In this regular season, the team has a healthy 6-0 record at the opponents’ home fields. That’s not counting the Saladino Tournament, played on neutral ground, which saw Crest take its only two losses of the season to Bloomingdale and Sickles.
The kids’ brand of baseball, which Beattie described as “fearless,” is chalked up to a different approach taken in the fall.
“We didn’t even talk about physical errors,” Beattie says. “We tried to point out all the good things they were doing and make them feel like they belong. Feed them with as much confidence as possible.”
The Chargers are hoping to snag that district title they got so close to winning in 2016. Undefeated in district play, the Chargers went into that championship game against Wharton with high hopes, and left on the wrong end of a 4-0 score.
The Wildcats once again look like Crest’s greatest threat in the 8A-4 race, but the Chargers are taking things one game at a time. They did get the better of Wharton in eight innings on Thursday, March 23, picking up a 1-0 win, but still have at least one more game to play against the team.
Beattie and the Chargers, in taking things game by game, are hoping that the formula the players, coaches and families have bought into will carry the team to its greatest heights yet.
“We talk a lot about playing for each other,” Beattie says. “Taking care of the things we can control. Supporting each other and letting each other know that, there will be times when we like and dislike each other, but that we need to love each other through everything.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.