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Nearpass knows success of Jackson baseball will be determined when offense gets going

 

By Mike Moore

Staff Writer

 

Jackson — Pitching often has the early season advantage in terms of baseball. When the spring season begins, sometimes with snow flurries still swirling, getting legit swings off live pitching is a luxury few teams have.

 

As David Nearpass looked back on the first four games of the 2016 season, the Jackson skipper sees plenty of potential with his group, “once the bats wake up,” he said with a laugh.

 

“We’ve played four games and allowed 10 total runs. We should be 4-0,” Nearpass said. “We’ve pitched well enough to win. The defense has been pretty strong for being early in the season. We just need to get the bats going.”

 

The Vikings were just 1-2-1 through those games, and as Nearpass said, a pitching staff that’s allowed 10 runs deserves a better record.

 

Asked what the main issue has been so far, Nearpass said pitch selection.

 

“We’re letting too many good pitches go by,” he added. “We’re taking that first strike, then getting behind in the count. If it’s there, smack it. We have to find ways to be more aggressive.”

 

Nearpass said he was plenty confident his offense will find its swagger.

 

Guys like Trevor Reeser, a four-year varsity vet, will come around as games and practices outdoor become the norm.

 

Hidden in the 1-2-1 record, though, is the pitching staff Nearpass spoke of.

 

Xavier Hovinen tossed a six-hitter and lost 3-2.

 

Brennan Miller pitched a three-hitter and lost 2-1.

 

“This is a team that can be very good,” Nearpass said. “When you have the pitching, there’s 95 percent of the game right there. Now we have to keep fielding and hit the ball and we’ll be all right.”

 

Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’

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