Hoboes aim for district title

LAUREL HILL – Now in his fifth year as the Laurel Hill baseball coach, Ronnie Smith has gone about building a team that can compete for the District 1-1A title every year.

The last two years the Hoboes came up just short of the championship, falling to rival Paxton in the district championship game. But they still made the playoffs both years after having gone seven years between playoff appearances.

And in 2008 the Hoboes won their first playoff game since 1983.

“I like this baseball team as much as any baseball team I’ve had,” Smith said. “I think we’ve got a little power. I think we’ve got a little pitching.

“I think we’ve got a chance to compete, and maybe even compete for the district title. That’s what it all about. Pretty much all of these guys are home grown and we like to see good things for them and I think there are good things for them.”

The Hoboes opened district play with back-to-back 19-0 wins over Poplar Springs and Bethlehem, but Smith wasn’t ready to proclaim his team as the frontrunner in District 1-1A that also includes Rocky Bayou Christian, Central and Paxton.

“It’s too early to tell (how the district sets up). It’s just too early in the season,” he said. “If we pitch it well and we hit the baseball and play defense – I guess it’s the same for everybody -- we’ve got a chance.”

And while Smith doesn’t want to take anything away from the importance of being able to swing the bat, he’d rather rely on winning the traditional way.

“I want the strength of the team to be our defense and pitching,” he said. “I don’t want it to be our hitting.

“I don’t want to have to beat teams 10-8. I want to play good defense and win it because of that.”

The four mainstays on the pitching staff appear to be Jackson, Boomer Simmons, Dalton Gordon and Chris

Korleski. Smith said there are a few other players that could see time on the mound as well.

Around the horn in the infield from first to third are Tyler Zessin a first, Travon Calloway at second, Gordon at shortstop and Ryan Simmons at third.

Tyler Simmons will catch and Korleski, Zeb Strickland and Boomer Simmons will man the outfield.

The Hoboes don’t have a deep roster, but they do have a talented one.

“We have about nine guys and if they aren’t in the field they’ll go out there and throw (pitch),” Smith said. “If we stay injury free we’ve got those guys that can come off the mound and play different positions.

“Ethan (Jackson), I can play him in the infield, but we are actually playing him in left field when he’s not pitching. There’s just a lot of interchangeable pieces.”

But the real key to whatever success the Hoboes will enjoy could lie in the leadership of the senior class.

“The thing I like the most about this team is the senior leadership,” Smith said. “I’ve got good seniors that like baseball and like each other.

“They were out here last night (Wednesday) and it was about 6:30 and baseball practice was over about 4:30. I had six guys out here that wanted to hit some more.”

The 2010 senior class includes Jackson, Korleski, Strickland, Ryan Simmons and Billy Goode.

“Those guys have worked hard and put in some long hours and we hope it pays off for them,” Smith said.