Patrick Henry off to strong start in defense of AA baseball state title

           Estill – The Patrick Henry Academy baseball team won the SCISA AA baseball state championship with a comeback that will forever be part of PHA athletics lore.

           The Patriots lost the first game of the best-of-3 series against Calhoun Academy 7-6 on the road. And it appeared the Cavaliers were going to sweep the series when they led 9-1 after four innings. However, Patrick Henry had cut the lead to 9-5 entering the bottom of the seventh, tied it to force extra innings and won 10-9 with a run in the bottom of the eighth.

           The deciding game was somewhat anticlimactic with PHA winning 12-2 in five innings. With 10 players returning from that squad, one would think there would be a lot of chatter about being state champions.

           Not so says Patriots head coach Wayne Brown.

           “There hasn't been any talk of it really,” said Brown. “We’ve got a  lot of veteran players who played in it, but they really don’t talk about it. Winning the football state title (earlier in this school year) also helped. It took away from baseball.”

           And perhaps it’s because the players’ focus is on defending the baseball crown. Patrick Henry won its first seven games of the season and started 3-0 in Region 2 play.

           “We have a lot of returning talent,” Brown said. “The guys we have on this team can really get after it. Our talent and pitching have been above our expectations so far.”

           PHA lost two players from last season, and they were key cogs. Charlie Sauls was the Region Player of the Year and the AA Player of the Year and is currently a pitcher for Bob Jones University. First baseman Chandler Brown was the Patriots’ offensive Most Valuable Player.

           The nine players on the 11-man roster who have played every game are senior twin brothers Forest Fairey and Hugh Fairey, seniors Nathan Corley and Andrew Searles, juniors Sims Brunson, Bryton Peeples and Spencer Kelehear and sophomores Jacob Corley and Rylin Brunson, the lone newcomer to the team.

           Forest Fairey owned a .423 batting average and a team high eight runs batted in and had the Patriots’ only home run. Hugh was batting .350 and was tied for the team lead in runs scored with 11.

           Jacob Corley also had 11 runs and a team high .500 average. Kelehear was batting .364, Searles .348, Peeples .286, Rylin Brunson .240, Nathan Corley .182 with seven RBI and Sims Brunson .125.

           The Patriots had also stolen 59 bases led by Jacob Corley with 11. The Faireys both had nine, Peeples seven and Searles and Rylin Brunson six apiece.

           As far as pitching goes, Brown said he has plenty of it.

           “We’ve only got 11 on the roster, but eight of them can throw,” he said. “We’re trying to get them innings, especially in non-region games.”

           The Faireys have done the bulk of the work so far. Both had 0.00 earned run averages, having allowed just one unearned run apiece, Forest in 20 innings and Hugh in 13 1/3. Forest had three wins and Hugh two.

           Sims Brunson had pitched five innings, Peeples 3 2/3 innings and junior Maddox Lee two innings.

           Others Brown expects to get some time on the mound are the Corleys and Rylin Brunson.

           The other member of the team is senior Hunter Cook.