A Look to the Future

Thursday was a special day for the St. Mary's baseball program and even more special for six of our team's eighth graders.

Denis Douglas, Palmer Douglas, Chris Lenear, Alec Anderson, Bradley Miller and Carson Simmons were called up to play for the Aquinas High School JV team on Thursday for a game on the road against Jefferson County.

Palmer Douglas started for the Irish and played second base and third base, and was impressive in his high school debut, going 2-for-4.

Denis Douglas entered the game in the fifth inning in right field and went 1-for-2 with a double.

Bradley Miller entered the game in the fourth inning at catcher and went 1-for-3.

Chris Lenear also appeared in the game, playing left field for the final three innings.

Carson Simmons and Alec Anderson did not get in the game, but Aquinas JV coach Joe Galvin said he expects both to see action in Saturday's doubleheader at North Augusta.

As we work hard to build St. Mary's into one of the most respected middle school baseball programs in Augusta, one of our goals this season was to form a closer bond with Aquinas and become a true feeder program for the high school and to develop our young men into players who will be able to step right in at the high school level.

We have been working closely with the Aquinas program all season, and Thursday was a big step for St. Mary's baseball.

St. Mary's players will continue to play with the Aquinas JV in the Irish's remaining games, including Saturday's doubleheader at North Augusta.

For the chance to play for Aquinas, we selected players based on ability, but also on their commitment, attitude and work ethic. For Thursday's game, we called up only eighth graders out of respect for these players who have paid their dues.

Other St. Mary's players, including our seventh and sixth graders, will have a chance to move up to the Aquinas JV in future games. This should be another great incentive for our players to work hard and prove something every time they step on the field.

Congratulations to the St. Mary's players for making our program proud. And a special thanks to Aquinas head coach Mike Laney, JV coach Joe Galvin and Aquinas assistant coaches Tony Garren and Mike Paul for working with us this season and helping our program step up to the next level.