Central junior Brock Williamson takes batting practice inside of the freshman building of Central High School on Monday as the team preps for their first round district matchup against Liberty on Tuesday.
Central junior Brock Williamson takes batting practice inside of the freshman building of Central High School on Monday as the team preps for their first round district matchup against Liberty on Tuesday.
Jacob Meikel | News-Press NOW
Central junior Brock Williamson takes batting practice inside of the freshman building of Central High School on Monday as the team preps for their first round district matchup against Liberty on Tuesday.
Jacob Meikel | News-Press NOW
Central baseball head coach Cale Lyons is in his first season leading the Indians.
It’s been a see-saw season for the Central baseball team, but newfound confidence could spell success for them as they prepare for their district play on Tuesday.
Monday’s practice was moved indoors due to rainy weather and the team is poised to overcome the loss they suffered to the Blue Jays in early April.
“We’re beating teams that, on paper, we should not be beating and giving some very, very top ranked teams a run for their money. We’re going to be a very, very good team going into districts and the next couple of years to come,” head coach Cale Lyons said.
After overcoming a five-game losing streak in the middle of April, the Indians could have folded. But instead, they changed the energy during practice. Junior Brock Williamson said practices weren’t serious during the skid, but captains took the opportunity to change the feel during those practices by taking initiative.
“Most of it was taking kids aside and saying ‘hey, we gotta quit this,’ or ‘hey, let me teach you a few things’ and just learning about the game,” Williamson said.
Correction translated into winning and finishing out the season strong as they won four of their last seven games after overcoming the five-game losing skid. Now, they’re focus shifts to Liberty, who is the two seed in Class 6 District 8. Sophomore Rex Holcomb, who was not the starter on the mound when the two teams faced off in April, will be on the mound to start for the Indians on Tuesday. For Holcomb, it’s a chance to keep alive the final season for the seven seniors on the roster. It’s a spot Holcomb has found himself in before even as a young player.
“It’s a little nervous, but last year as a freshman, I started the first game of districts as well. I was pretty nervous and now I think I’ve kind of gotten used to it a little bit. I think I’ll be fine,” Holcomb said.
First pitch for the Indians against the Blue Jays will be 4 p.m. in Parkville, Missouri. The Indians in this tournament will look to capture their first district championship since 2018.
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