Redbirds ready for district tournament

ELLSINORE — Maturity was the key ingredient to the success the East Carter Redbirds accomplished this season, and it will play a significant role in the postseason as they prepare to host this year’s Class 2 District 2 tournament.

After finishing with a 12-17 record from the previous season, the Redbirds made a solid shift in how they approached each game this year. They finished with a 13-9 record for the regular season and captured their fourth consecutive Black River League Championship.

The Redbirds received the No. 3 seed in the district tournament. Junior JJ Pflum believes they landed in the perfect spot for a shot to return to the championship game after falling to Greenville last year. He said having more experience has helped them find a groove.

“I feel like we've been playing pretty good,” Pflum said. “Lately, I've seen the team grow from where we started games not entirely focused, but with districts coming up, we’ve been shifting our focus. A lot of it is just the growth in our maturity. I've seen a lot of the guys not only grow as players but as people, some of them whom I'm personally really proud of. We just need to get a practice in, get a JV game for the guys who don't get to play, and we'll be ready to go once playoff season starts.”

Fellow teammate and the Redbirds' only senior, Brenden Reynolds, said his mindset is getting revenge for their shortcomings in last year’s district championship. He said getting back to the big dance has been on his mind since the beginning of the year. As the only senior, Reynolds ensures that the team is where they need to be every time they step onto the field.

“We’ve definitely gotten a lot closer as a team this year,” Reynolds said. “On the field, we’ve got a lot better in the box. I think our infielders have gained more experience, which has helped our defense. I just try to keep us focused. Make sure we're not messing around too much, but still trying to have fun. Our priority is just trying to get back to another district championship.”

Pflum said that although the Redbirds have played well this season, an 11-0 loss to the Dexter Bearcats prompted them to refocus midseason. He said coach (Ethan) Boyer has preached to the team about having that match-point mentality where they stepped into every game with confidence to win.

The Redbirds will take on the No. 6 seed Neelyville Tigers, who they already defeated earlier this season 9-0. Despite having the upper hand in the matchup, Pflum said they can’t downplay any opponents in the torment and they must be ready to play.

“To get back to the championship, it's going be a lot of the same matchpoint mentality, Pflum said. “We are not in an easy district. I would say we are one of the better teams because we didn’t lose a whole lot last year. The two we did lose were Jacob Safwan and Jason Carter, who were huge parts of how our team played last year. I think it’s going to be a lot of pushing through like we did last year and not stepping off the gas until we reach where we want to be. I think that it definitely helps that we get to host districts, so hopefully that will help.”