Youthful Holcomb baseball team ready to “shock some people” this Spring

HOLCOMB – The Holcomb baseball team is back on the field with plenty of new faces with under two weeks until the Hornets' opening day against Delta C-7 next Friday.

As the season quickly approaches, it's “sink or swim” time as many on Holcomb's young roster – three seniors, a junior, four sophomores and six freshmen – are being “thrown in to the fire” of high school baseball, according to coach Michael Snider.

The few but mighty upperclassmen on the team still remember the feeling of the Hornets' Final Four run in 2021, and while the team did secure a winning 15-6 season last Spring, their most recent fall season did not go according to plan after finishing 3-16.

Despite the adverse situation in which the Hornets find themselves now, many players like senior Hunter Lawrence agree that they're getting better by the day.

“We're just trying to grow as a team right now,” Lawrence said. “Last year we were pretty good, but we lost a couple seniors. We're just trying to grow and get better and better every practice. I'm just hoping we can shock people. We had a pretty bad fall season, so I'm hoping we can shock some people.”

Holcomb senior Hunter Lawrence runs drills during practice Monday, March 6, 2023. Photo by Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

Lawrence plays at short stop, third base, first base, and previously on the mound before an injury last year: “pretty much wherever they need me at.”

He's admittedly “pretty loud,” and he humbly embraces his place as a leader on the team.

“I just want to be a great teammate,” Lawrence said. “I'm trying to teach them things that aren't just baseball and try to get them somewhere in life, just trying to be a good teammate.”

He tore his meniscus last year, and since then Payton McNabb has taken on the lead role on the mound for the Hornets.

“I'm just trying to get back to where I once was, and hopefully it holds up and if the opportunity comes I'll be able to play,” Lawrence said. “It depends on how it holds up, but I'm really hoping to be able to perform for the guys.”

Holcomb senior Payton McNabb runs drills from second base during practice Monday, March 6, 2023.Photo by Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

With a sense of cautious optimism, McNabb hopes for a winning record to end his baseball career on a high note, and to “possibly win conference and districts.”

He doesn't plan on continuing his career at the next level – instead his eyes are set on lineman school. For now, though, he'll help take the lead to go out with a bang.

“It's different because we've lost some good players, but we're coming back real hard,” McNabb said. “Our hitting is alright, and our fielding is looking better every day so I think we're going to be alright.”

Rounding out the short list of seniors, center fielder Barry Privett has realistic expectations of his role in his senior season.

“I wouldn't say I'm the best athlete but I'm not the worst,” Privett said. “I'm right in the middle. I just want to hit the ball well this season. Hopefully we'll do better than we did in the fall, and I'm looking forward to having one of my best seasons this year.”

Privett might be what could be considered the designated hype man of the team, and he said “we like to get each other going, and we're all motivating each other.”

As the group finds its identity this Spring, that job may be more important than any other.

Holcomb senior Barry Privett throws in a ball from the outfield during practice Monday, March 6, 2023.Photo by Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

“We are extremely young,” Snider said. “And we are asking these underclassmen to have to come up and immediately produce. There will be some growing pains with that. We saw that in the Fall. But, we don’t have a choice in that matter. We just have to control what we can control and compete our butts off. I know that they will do whatever they can to help us. And as a coach, that is all you can ever ask for.”

Snider said the freshmen had success in junior high, and while the team had its moments in the Fall, playing their best games at the end of the season, there were also times that the team “looked like a bunch of freshmen.”

With many of the squad's injuries hopefully left in the past, this season might look much different than what fans saw in the Fall.

Held up by the backbone of upperclassmen with plentiful experience doing what it takes to win supplemented by younger, but talented players, Snider hopes the team can improve upon the stride they found late last Fall.

“I think a big goal for us this Spring is when we are competing well, we don’t lose that focus in a particular inning like we did a several times in the Fall,” Snider said. “We should be looking to compete, improve, and keep gaining that experience we need. We need to try and be the very best we can be by the end of the Spring.”

Holcomb's season kicks off next Friday, March 17, in hosting Delta C-7 at 4:30 p.m.