Pilots look to build on last year’s growth

Looking to improve on a 4-16 overall record in the 2022 season, the Fulton County Pilots will return 14 players from last year’s squad, although only five upperclassmen in seniors Max Gibbs, Luke Jackson, and Nesota Perez, and juniors Logan Griffiths and John Rey Major.

Rounding out the squad of 17 players will be sophomores Braxton Bridges, Ben Gilkey, Javen Kimmons, Evan Mallett, JC Parker, Ashden Perez, and Ryan Prehoda; freshmen Keaton Goodson, Cooper Scott and Austin Todd; and a couple of eighth graders in Preston Smith and Tyler Jackson.

Also returning will be Head Coach Jason Gibbs, for his second and last season, aided by Jon Paitsel. who will be serving as Co-Head Coach, under Gibbs’ mentorship, during his first year of teaching and will take over all Head Coaching duties for the 2024 season. Completing the coaching staff are Larry Manus, who returns for his second season as an Assistant Coach, and Garrett Sommerfield and Phillip Uzzle, who will be volunteer coaches during practices and games.

“The leadership roles on the diamond will fall upon Seniors Max Gibbs and Luke Jackson and Junior Logan Griffiths,” said Head Coach Gibbs. “We (the coaches) believe JC Parker, Braxton Bridges and Preston Smith will evolve to fill leadership roles from the underclassmen. All these young men will take the leadership role due to their competitive nature, hardwork and desire to hold themselves and teammates accountable,” he continued.

The Pilots return two of their top pitchers from 2022 in Max Gibbs, who struck out 14 batters, and JC Parker, who struck out 43 batters.

Also in the bullpen for the Pilots will be Luke Jackson, Logan Griffiths, Braxton Bridges, Keaton Goodson and Preston Smith, who will all see action on the mound in starting and relief opportunities, before settling the coaches decided on a firm rotation.

During the 2022 season, the Pilots increased their batting average by 64%, as they had a collective .278 batting average

The Pilots return two of their top hitters, Braxton Bridges, who had a .471 batting average with 16 hits and 18 RBIs, and Max Gibbs. with a batting average of .444, 12 hits and four RBIs. The coaches also expect Luke Jackson and JC Parker to put the ball into play more; while Ben Gilkey, Cooper Scott, Keaton Goodson, Ryan Prehoda and Preston Smith should rapidly improve their hitting with more opportunties at the plate. If the Pilots can make a similar leap in their hitting percentage, they should put themselves in a position for more scoring opportunities.

According to Coach Gibbs, the Pilots defense should become the strength of the team as the season progresses. The defense will be anchored by multipositional players Max Gibbs, Luke Jackson, Logan Griffiths, JC Parker and Preston Smith. The corners of the infield will be held down by Braxton Bridges, Evan Mallett, Ryan Prehoda, Keaton Goodson, and Cooper Scott. The middle infield will see action from John Rey Major, Javen Kimmons, Keaton Goodson, Austin Todd and TylerJackson. The outfield will see action from Nesota Perez, Ben Gilkey, Javen Kimmons, Evan Mallett, Ashden Perez and Austin Todd.

When asked who would be the toughest opponents this season, Coach Gibbs pointed out the teams that have experience and pitchin in district opponents Carlisle County and Hickman County, and out-of-state opponents, Trenton Peabody and Obion County Central.

He also noted the other scheduled opponents, Murray, Saint Mary’s, Mayfield, Ballard Memorial, Dresden and South Fulton, will bring teams that are well coached, improved and will push the Pilots.

When asked what the the biggest asset of this year’s squad was, Coach Gibbs said, “the players are a group of young men that are competitive, willing to work hard to improve and will play with grit for the opportunity for a win. The biggest challenge will be to maintain focus during the rough patches against tough competition and learning how to close out and win games with better run production and lock-down defense.”

As far as the goals for the team this season, it’s quite simple: continuous improvement through the season from hard work and sacrifice and to have the opportunity to compete and win the First District Championship and compete in the Regional Tournament.