Leopards have tight-knit pride
Malvern’s final record in 2017 may not have indicated a great season, but looks can be deceiving. The Leopards finished 18-13 but advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A State Tournament at Lonoke last year, losing to Shiloh Christian 3-2. The Leopards return eight players who started a year go, including seniors Demias Jimerson, Jace Turner, Drew Golden, Garrett Mayhan and Jordan Hart; and juniors Brandon Scott, Parker Freer and Darion Weaver. “We hope to be playing for a state championship,” Malvern coach Matt Weigand said. “We came up one run short against Shiloh in the semifinals. We hope to be back in the same situation this year.” The record was deceiving because the Leopards’ nonconference schedule was loaded with powerhouse teams, Weigand said. “We play as tough a schedule as anybody,” he said. “We were within one run of beating Sheridan, who won the 6A state title. We played El Dorado, Lake Hamilton, Greenbrier. Our conference is pretty dang tough, too.” Weigand said his schedule is that tough again this year, with El Dorado, Lake Hamilton, Watson Chapel, Sheridan, Arkadelphia, Glen Rose and Pulaski Robinson. The Leopards are also in the same postseason district as Nashville, Bauxite and Ashdown. Nashville is the defending Class 4A champion. “It will be a dog fight,” the coach said. Weigand said his team is tight-knit. “We’ve got a good culture,” he said. “They’ve been playing together since they were itty-bitty. They’ve got good relationships with each other and pull for one another. We’ve got really good chemistry. “We’re the kind of team that if you watch us, you’ll be amazed by us, but I think if you watch us over the course of time, you’ll appreciate how hard our guys play.” The Leopards are led by Jimerson, who also plays football and basketball for Malvern. “He’s a special kid,” Weigand said. “He can do just about anything. He’s our No. 1 on the mound. He’s got a really good slider, a good fastball and a good two-seamer. He’s our shortstop, our third baseman. He can play anywhere on the diamond. He’s our leadoff hitter.” As a pitcher, Jimerson was 8-1 with 118 strikeouts. He also led the team in hitting with a .457 average. Weigand said his team’s best power hitter is Scott, who hit 2 home runs, 12 doubles and a triple in 2017. The best fielder is Turner at shortstop. Jimerson, Turner, Mayhan and Scott are all college prospects, Weigand said.