Inside Starkville Academy gears up for playoffs
Look past the overall record for Starkville Academy this year on the baseball diamond and you'll find a team that's got as good a chance as any to win a state title.
The Volunteers began the season 2-3 with losses to Lamar, East Webster and Oak Hill. During the first couple of weeks, however, they were without several starters who were finishing up an incredibly successful basketball and soccer season. When those players returned, things began to come together.
Now Starkville Academy stands 10-8 and finished off a 7-2 District 2-AAA record that handed it yet another district championship. With their success down the stretch, the Vols earned a first round bye in the AAA state playoffs and now are ready for Columbia Academy in round two this week.
“We're in a really good spot right now,” Starkville Academy head coach Brooks Roberts said. “We started off kind of slow, but that's common when a lot of our guys are playing so many different sports. Since then, everything has started clicking.
“The guys are taking really great swings right now. The record isn't great, but it doesn't really matter. The way that we're playing baseball right now, everything is coming together now.”
Seniors Dillon Carrell, Codie Futral and Carter Roach are batting over .400 this season and helping lead the way for the Vols. Coincidentally, all three were helping other teams go deep in the playoffs before joining baseball this season and now are hoping to do the same on the diamond.
Futral, who just signed with East Mississippi Community College to continue his basketball career, is .434 at the plate with three doubles and 13 RBI. He said those that came into the season late had to work extra hard to catch themselves up and their teammates.
“Since we play more sports, we knew that we had to work harder,” Futral said. “We come up to the school every day and even on the weekends. The past few weeks we've come together and gotten really close and I feel like that's going to help us a lot.”
One thing that makes Starkville Academy special is the production that's come from the top to the bottom of the team. Landen Rogers has commanded the mound with a 6-1 record and 1.89 earned run average that led to his selection as the district's MVP.
The Vols have also had a big year from sophomore Taylor Arnold on the mound and everyone throughout the lineup has clicked. Roberts counts himself blessed to have the talent and camaraderie that this team possesses.
“It's a good mix,” Roberts said. “It's not just seniors with seniors or freshmen hanging out with the freshmen, everyone is together. It really builds for great team chemistry. On the field, it's everybody in the entire lineup. It's been nice to see a full team this year.”
The Cougars will be a tough out for the Vols who are looking to surpass their second round exit from a year ago. At 26-9 this year, Columbia is coming off a three-game series with Manchester in the first round where it outscored its opponent 36-2.
Game one of the series will take place at Columbia on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Game two will be at Starkville on Thursday at 4:30 with a game to follow if necessary to decide which team will advance.