Ty Stott knew, before the first pitch, that Polk County’s recent winning baseball ways might be in for a challenge during the 2014 season.
But Stott probably didn’t envision just how testing the year would be.
The Wolverines wrapped up their regular season Friday with an 11-10 loss to East Henderson that served as a microcosm of the year. Polk County got timely hitting, scored runs throughout the game and took a 10-8 lead into the bottom of the seventh. But the Eagles rallied for three runs in their final at-bat, putting together four singles and a walk for the winning rally.
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It proved another example of a pattern that plagued Polk throughout the season – the struggle to get offense and defense firing on the same evening.
“We’ve been winning like crazy (in recent years), but I knew going into the year that we were low on pitching and this might be the season where we were sitting around the .500 mark,” Stott said. “I was prepared for that. as coaches, we have to be prepared and have to go in with a level head.
“But this was the perfect storm. If something could go wrong, it went wrong.”
The Wolverines’ 7-16 record ended a run of seven years for the program with at least 14 wins and a finish of no worse than second in the Western Highlands Conference. Polk County hadn’t had a single-digit win total since 2003, and the seven wins match the fewest under Stott, equaling the 7-16 mark his first team posted in 1996.
Injuries certainly played a role in the mark. Sophomore Daniel Painter, expected to contribute heavily on the mound, was unable to pitch much of the year. Junior Morgan Groves was restricted from mound duty for the latter part of the season. Expected to be the Wolverines’ No. 3 pitcher, senior Wes Brady instead found himself leading a band of arms that included Konner Scruggs, J.D. Edwards, Tyler Campbell and freshman Nathan Collins.
“On the bright side, a lot of kids got to pitch that normally don’t get to pitch,” Stott said. “If they play in the summer and work in the weight room in the offseason, that might really help us next season.”
And perhaps that’s why Stott is already optimistic about the 2015 campaign, why he feels the Wolverines will be a definite threat next to return to the upper echelon of the WHC, a lofty view that Polk has grown accustomed to having. Individual gains he saw during 2014 factor large in Stott’s hopes for next year.
“In the junior varsity and varsity I saw improvements individually,” Stott said. “On the jayvees I saw Zane Johnson improve, I saw Bailey Livesay improve, I saw Cory Skipper improve, I saw Justin Jones mature into a varsity player, I saw Noah Howell mature into a varsity player.
“On the varsity I saw Bryce Martin mature into an all-around baseball player. I saw Mark Mazzilli turn into the centerfielder that we hoped he would turn into. Konner Scruggs showed me that he could play three different positions. Tyler Campbell became a catcher overnight. He didn’t have a passed ball the last five games.
“I saw improvements across the board individually that I didn’t see as a team.”
Those improvements were certainly evident in the Wolverines’ final two games, an 11-6 loss to top-ranked Hendersonville and the loss to East Henderson. Against the Eagles, Collins had four hits and an RBI while Martin had three hits and drove in a run. Martin also had two hits against Hendersonville, a game in which Polk County entered the seventh inning in a 6-6 deadlock with the Bearcats.
Stott will look to build on the momentum of those final efforts during the offseason.
“I’ve probably got more to take into the offseason than I’ve ever had,” Stott said. “What are we going to do differently, what are we going to attack. There’s more work to do this offseason than we’ve ever had.
“I’m looking forward to it. I love the offseason.”
That offseason will begin soon as many of the Wolverines will take part in Polk County’s junior American Legion program. Polk County had just three seniors on this year’s team, including Brady, the team’s most reliable offensive player. The Wolverines will need begin this summer the search for a replacement for his offensive output while also hoping for continued improvement and good health in its pitching depth.
“We’re going to have pretty much the same pitching staff, minus Wes, if everybody is healthy,” Stott said. “Tyler, Konner, guys like that who stepped up this year will have a year of experience. I think the pitching will be very similar, but hopefully more experienced.
“I really think we’re capable of going 9-3 in the conference next year and not be that much of a different team than we were this year.”
