Twin Rivers players earn All-District

The Twin Rivers Royals’ baseball team learned a valuable lesson during the Spring season. It’s not about you start but how you finish.

After a (21-5) record for the fall season, the Royals faced much adversity in the Spring, but with the help of some elite athletes, they got over the hump.

The Royals finished with a (14-15) record, and despite the up and down season, the Royals managed to make a run at the Class 3 District 1 championship before falling to Portageville (35-3).

Even though the Royals did not have a very good record, head coach Chris Newman felt they played a lot better than their record indicated.

“We added a lot of games to our schedule, and we knew it was going to be a battle,” Newman said. “We knew the Spring would be a lot tougher because there’s always a lot of new competition. A lot of those losses were by one or two runs, but for the most part, we just fault our way through against some really good teams. Even though our record wasn't great, I still feel we had a successful season.”

A run in the postseason wouldn’t be possible without hard teamwork and great individual play from Warren Thurman, Price Thurman, Drew Solomon, Jake Hester and Luke Hester, who made All-District in the Class 3 District 1 class.

Newman said the two seniors Price and Thurman were primarily the first two hitters each game and did their job at the top of the lineup by getting on base. He said they set the tone for the team.

“Warren threw a lot of innings for us during both seasons, and he did great mixing up his speeds,” he said. “Price came out crushing the baseball in the Fall and hit well in the Spring. Drew really stepped up on the mound for us and pitched a ton of really big games. He held us together in a lot of games and gave us a chance against some really good teams.”

With Luke and Jake Hester, Newman said both swung well this season. He said Jake is one of the better defensive players and one of those kids that can play anywhere in the lineup and will be consistent at the plate. As for Luke, Newman felt he became a really good power batter in the middle of their order. He said when Luke is on at the plate, he can carry a lineup.

Overall, Newman said he was fortunate enough to get five guys All-District, proving they had a pretty good season and year.