The Joplin Eagles baseball team hosted Carthage and Monett in a jamboree on Tuesday, which was a welcomed experience for everyone involved.
“To get out on the baseball field and see a different team in the opposing dugout, it’s basically been 367 days since we’ve put on a Joplin uniform and play a baseball game,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “I think everyone was feeling it a little bit. I told some people this morning that it felt like the first day of school when I was a little kid. I think there was a little bit more meaning to it, and the kids felt it, too. This was really exciting. We got to play baseball today, and that is always a good thing.”
“It’s awesome, and what a perfect night for it,” Carthage coach Luke Bordewick said. “All of these kids have been itching for it for a while. I saw some good things, but we still have a lot to work on. But, man, it’s a good time of year.”
This time last year, area teams were preparing for a spring sports season that never was. Many of the jamborees had already taken place with teams waiting in limbo on whether or not they would get to play meaningful games. Sadly, the news was what many feared and expected—the spring sports season was canceled because of the still-developing COVID pandemic. Losing out on a full year of baseball is going to make this season even more special when considering the circumstances.
“I don’t think there is any doubt about it,” Wolf said when asked if there was a greater appreciation level from his players to take part in spring sports this season. “Kids, in general, have short memories. But I think that was something that stuck with them—at any given time, things can get shut down. I think kids will get into a rhythm and it will become like any other year, but I don’t think there is any doubt right now. There was a great crowd tonight, and I think that just shows everybody is ready for some baseball.”
Joplin, Carthage and Monett all played four-inning games, rotating opponents for each contest. Though the final scores aren’t important, taking advantage of the game-like situations is crucial in terms of developing confidence to start the season. This is the time coaches get to see how their players react and respond in pressure situations it’s nearly impossible to replicate in practice.
“I think that is what it really is,” Wolf said. “You’re getting an opportunity to see yourselves in a competitive scenario against another team that is going to do things differently than you do—things you can’t really duplicate in practice. That is what this comes down to, situational work and how kids react to it.”
“I don’t think we had a single pitcher who had varsity experience coming into this,” Bordewick said. “That is ultimately what it is about for us—getting these kids varsity reps and varsity experience. It’s all about the reps right now, scores don’t matter.”
The in-game situations are not only important for the players, though. For Bordewick, who is replacing former head coach Mike Godfrey, he knows it will take time to get comfortable with the in-game decision making it takes to be successful. The jamboree was the perfect chance to test those waters as a first-year head coach.
“I am learning just like they are,” Bordewick said. “I am going to make mistakes, and I told them that. We are trying a lot of new, aggressive things. I asked them for their grace. I made some mistakes tonight, but I am learning from it just like they are.”
