James Clemens ready for the rematch with Bob Jones
James Clemens will try to get first ever win over Bob Jones, pictured is Taylor Borst
(RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT)
MADISON- The game has been circled on the calendar and in their minds for a year.
Tuesday afternoon, James Clemens baseball team gets their chance to score their first ever win against cross-town rival Bob Jones and in doing so, make a statement. The rivalry nature of a game against Bob Jones makes this a must win for the Jets players even though it is not an Area 16 game.
James Clemens is coming off a win over Grissom and a loss against MadisonAcademy in weekend tournament action in the North Alabama Baseball Classic. Overall the Jets are 10-6 and still tinkering with finding a set lineup according to Coach Shane Medlen.
“I have not started the same lineup yet, there has been a change sometimes two or three different guys this season,” Medlen said. “Eric (Patterson) is set at shortstop except for when he pitches, Tucker Clark is set at third, and Jordan Anderson in centerfield has played extremely well. The other positions are still in play. Who is going to step up and take the everyday spot? We still haven’t had that happen quite yet.”
Anderson has been the surprise early in the season. He is a freshman transfer from Athens who brings speed and power from the right side of the plate and is batting leadoff.
Jordan Anderson is a freshman starting in centerfield for James Clemens
(RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT)
Medlen does have a deep team with three top starting pitchers he can turn to.
Heath Burchfield (sophomore) and Taylor Borst (junior) are returning starting pitchers from last year. Jacob Phillips is a transfer who Medlen said has thrown well.
Borst plays first base when not pitching. Also getting playing time in the infield are Kyle Castelein at second base and Nick Sainato and Ethan Thomas at catcher. Sammy Dennis and Immanuel Wilder are getting time in the outfield.
Medlen must balance the importance of the Bob Jones game with getting his pitching rotation set for the first area action of the season this weekend against Austin.
“It’s a big game for the guys,” Medlen said. “We want to beat Bob Jones because it is the school we split off of but beating them doesn’t put us in the playoffs. I’ve had about five of them ask if they could pitch that night. We are going to make a big deal out of it at school and try to get a bunch of students there.”
Last year, the two losses to Bob Jones were especially painful. James Clemens lost by scores of 23-6 and 19-4. Taylor Borst played in those losses and is ready to make sure nothing like that happens again.
“We’re looking forward to it and we expect to go all out and use all our pitching and play our best like we know we can,” Borst said.
A win “would mean a lot with it being our Madison rival,” Borst added. “We don’t want that feeling again.”
Despite the losses to Bob Jones, the Jets won Area 16 against Florence Decatur, and Austin. They lost to Sparkman in the first round of the playoffs.
“Just being a first year team it was awesome winning the area last year and going to the playoffs but this year we have higher expectations,” Borst said.
The game will start at 4:30 at James Clemens field.
