Behind dominant arms and powerful bats, Greer baseball is putting it together early in the season.
After a 6-1 win over region rival Daniel, the Jackets improved to 6-3 on the season and are winners of five straight.
“These past couple of weeks, everybody has come together and accepted their roles within the team,” said Greer head coach Keith Scruggs. “They’ve accepted that each person has a job to do for us, and now that we’ve found an identity as a team, we’re rolling with it.”
Powerful performances at the plate, from senior standouts like Zion Anderson and Chase Kelly, have helped Greer average over 13 runs per game during its win streak.
Both Anderson and Kelly have high hopes for what the Jackets can achieve in their final season.
“We have such good chemistry as a team, and I think that comes from the fact that we’ve been playing together so long,” said Anderson. “That chemistry, I think, will go a long way in helping us make a run this season.”
“We spend a lot of time together as a team, even if it’s not out here on the field,” said Kelly, echoing Anderson’s sentiment. “Being around each other outside of the game has helped us all grow closer.”
It’s not just strong bats like Anderson’s, Kelly’s, or sophomore Dawson Fowler’s pulling the weight, either.
Boston Arnold and Luke Godfrey have both been stellar on the mound for Greer early in the season, as well. Arnold has four wins on the season already. Both pitchers have a sub-3 ERA.
“We’re playing with confidence as pitchers because we know we have great defense being played behind us,” said Arnold. “The guys behind us have really stepped up.”
“We have a competitive mindset when we step out there that no one’s better,” said Godfrey. “When you have defense behind you making plays, it helps you keep that confidence and attack when you’re on the mound.”
Greer will take on Daniel at home on Friday night, looking for a season sweep of the Lions to stay atop the 4-A Region 2 standings.
In a competitive region, riddled with solid programs like Seneca, Daniel, Blue Ridge, and others, Scruggs says the mindset has been simple. Greer is taking the season one game at a time, with sights on winning a region title and making a deep playoff run.
“A metaphor that’s really stuck for us this season is ‘The train keeps rolling,’” said Scruggs. “We take each game like it’s one stop on a train, and we handle it as we get there.
“Each stop, each game, we handle our business, and we keep on rolling.”
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