NMCC's Kimball building his alma mater with energy, enthusiasm

NEW MADRID – The New Madrid County Central High School varsity baseball squad enters its game at Charleston today (4:30 p.m.) in search of its first win of the spring. However, despite the 0-4 Eagle mark, first-year coach Jordan Kimball sees signs that his team is developing.

“Each game we have gotten better,” Kimball said. “The scores aren’t showing it yet.

“What we’ve been frustrated with so far in the first few games is effort. You shouldn’t have to teach effort.”

Kimball is a former New Madrid player, who spent 13 years out of education before making the life-altering decision to return to his alma mater and make a difference in the lives of the young students.

“I went to school for education,” Kimball said, “but never really had done anything with that.”

After spending a year teaching and coaching at Charleston High School, Kimball was hired to restore his former team, which hadn’t had a winning season in over (at least) 15 seasons.

“It’s not going to happen in one year,” Kimball said of the rebuilding, “I can promise you that.”

But there are strides being made within the program on a daily basis, as Kimball noted on his player’s effort.

“It’s got to start at the lower levels,” Kimball said. “We are trying to build up that. The middle school program. We’re trying to get summer baseball back in New Madrid.

“That is what it is going to take to build the varsity program.”

In a recent loss to Dexter at Eagle Field Park, Kimball utilized five starters, who will return for at least another spring, including freshman Wyatt Taylor (second base and pitching), and sophomores Jack Pipkin (left field) and Brandon Waters (catcher).

New Madrid County Central trailed the Bearcats just 4-2 entering the sixth inning before falling 11-5.

“It’s hard,” Kimball said of dealing with the adversity of building a program. “We have a young coaching staff and we’re all very, very competitive, which makes it frustrating.”

What Kimball isn’t going to do is allow shortcuts in developing the Eagle players.

“We are doing things differently than what has been done in the past,” Kimball said. “I told the players from day one, we are running this like a college program.”

What Kimball meant by that comment is the pace at which the New Madrid County Central players operate on the diamond, both in games, as well as practices.

“We’re going to be upbeat, fast-paced, and always moving,” Kimball explained. “They are getting used to that.

“We’re competing, and we’ll get better as the season goes on.”