Future bright for programs in Starkville
Don't judge the results of Starkville baseball this season by record only.
Even though the wins and losses this year haven't been overly impressive for either the Starkville Yellowjackets or Starkville Academy Volunteers, that doesn't tell the full story for either one of those squads.
For the Jackets, they did an outstanding job of reaching a winning mark and the playoffs for the third-straight season.
The final overall mark of 16-15 isn't great, but consider where SHS was. The Jackets were 5-11 at one time after a 13-6 loss to Lake.
Starkville went on to win 10 of the next 11 games, which included four victories in Class 6A, Region 3, to get a winning season.
The Jackets lose some valuable seniors, but also have some nice young talent that's going to produce some big things in the future for coach Travis Garner and his staff.
Keep your eye on Jack Perry. The freshman found his way into key roles on the mound and in the middle of the lineup last season as a freshman and he has all kind of potential. It will be fun to follow his progress as well as the rest of the Jackets.
Right across Lynn Lane are the Volunteers, who still have their season going.
Starkville Academy got its postseason started in Class AAA in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools on Tuesday night at Columbia Academy. The
District 2-AAA champions had a 10-8 record going into that matchup.
As was the case with SHS, the Volunteers have some seniors like Codie Futral, Carter Roach, Landen Rogers, Dillon Carrell and Alex Jones that provided plenty of leadership with their presence on the field.
There are also some young talent that Starkville
Academy can brag about. Like Perry with the Jackets, sophomore Taylor Arnold is one of the good young pitchers of this area.
The Vols have some good bats coming back next year with sophomore Howell Archer, junior Will Holley, junior Kyle Faver and others.
Regardless of the result from Tuesday, Starkville Academy plays at least one more time at home on Thursday.
If you haven't had the opportunity to go watch the Vols yet, it would be a good thing to check them out on Thursday. Coach Brooks Roberts has a nice squad that doesn't back down from any challenge.
Danny P. Smith is sports editor and columnist for the Starkville Daily News. The opinions in this column are his and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Daily News or its staff.