By Thomas Sellers Jr.
The Millington Trojans including catcher Calvin Hodges and pitcher Chris Neuhalfen shake hands with Rossville Christian Academy players after winning a Best of the West game last week in Brighton 6-3. The victory improved the Trojans to 3-0 on the season.
After the completion of the Rossville Christian Academy game, the Millington Trojans walked into their dugout on the Brighton Baseball Field with a meekness.
The silence in the dugout was broken when one of the Trojans shouted, “3-0 Baby.” Millington’s 6-3 victory over the RCA Wolves kept the Trojans record perfect on the young season. Starting the Best of the West Tournament off with a win is all a part of Head Coach Billy Davis’ plan to build a new culture and swagger for his Trojans before entering District 14-3A play.
“The past couple of years we’ve started off with a losing record or 0-4,” he recalled. “This year I wanted to start off the season on a positive note. Just to start off confident going into district. I think our confidence was real low the past couple of years going into district. But this year with the wins early, I think our confidence will be high.”
Millington opened the season with a 14-4 win over Fayette Academy. Then the Trojans followed that up with a demolition job of Douglass winning 23-3.
On March 19 the Trojans traveled up Highway 51 to Brighton to take on the Wolves. Millington kept the hot bats going jumping out to a 3-0 lead after one inning.
Ahead 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Trojans iced the game with a pair of runs in that half of the inning.
Millington senior Chris Neuhalfen closed the contest keeping RCA scoreless in the sixth inning. With the Best of the West time limit in effect the Trojans walked off the field winners and still unbeaten.
The offensive star of the contest was Zack Gamble with 3 RBIs. Gamble and teammate Calvin Hodges have been consistent bats throughout the first three games.
Gamble had a solid outing on the mound against the Fayette Academy Vikings going five innings with 8 strikeouts.
Davis said with solid results pitching, offensively and on defense, he hopes a winning culture develops for his team.
“We’ll compete a little harder and hopefully come out with more wins,” he said. “Hopefully the confidence will pay off in those tough district games. Hopefully the confidence will equal success in the end.”
Davis said being in the Best of the West and playing against quality opponents from across the Mid-South will prepare his team for a run against Arlington, Bartlett, Bolton and Cordova.
“Being in these two tournaments early in the season gets your foot in the door with tournament,” he said. “Seeing good teams in tournament play is a precurser to the end of the season’s district tournament.
“That’s why we do these tournaments and face good teams up front to prepare ourselves for the district regular season,” Davis concluded. “And being in a tournament format, we’ll get used to that style come tournament time.”
