Postseason Baseball Puts Spring Practices On Hold

Photo: George Matsui Flickr

Thomas Grant

May 22, 2023 @ 11:00 AM

Ordinarily, Blaine Redmond would take part in various drills and set plays during the spring with the football team.   Although primarily a running back, the rising senior is one of the War Eagles' most versatile players. His value in playing multiple positions has helped Gray Collegiate maintain his role among the top teams in Class 2A.   “Blaine is like a Swiss Army knife,” Gray Collegiate head football coach Adam Holmes said. “He can do everything. He is the fastest guy on the team. He plays linebacker, strong safety, and quarterback running back. He is just an athlete. The only part that hurts is seeing what his quarterback potential is. We know what else he can do.”   The reason Redmond is unavailable is he's currently contributing to the baseball team's playoff run.   He's a big reason why the War Eagles reached the Class 2A final for the second straight year. His go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the seventh inning capped a 7-run comeback from 6-0 down to win the Upper State final elimination game.   Gray Collegiate went on to win the second game 4-3 to reach the state final.   Other contributors from the football team for Gray Collegiate baseball are defensive end/pitcher/infielder [player_tooltip player_id='1359251' first='Zeb' last='Taylor'], defensive end/infielder Trey Craig and wide receiver/infielder Conner Holmes.   "Taylor was All-State as a sophomore," Holmes said. "He will be the anchor on the line and add some to offense as well. Lineman Trey Craig is probably going to be starting at right tackle for us. He played there last year but had shoulder surgery. He will be ready this summer. Wide receiver Conner Holmes will be in the mix at slot wide receiver. Smart player who can play any position. He has great hands."   The War Eagles were among seven Midlands teams who reached the Upper or Lower State baseball playoffs with players with a football background.   Given the success Gray Collegiate has had in both sports (winning the Class 2A football title in 2021), head baseball coach Charles Assey Sr. sees the active participation in multi-sports as “very beneficial”.   “It keeps them from getting burned out from specializing year around,” he said. “And I think it rests arms from overuse and injury playing one sport 365 days a year.”   Lexington head baseball coach Brian Hucks is another multisport advocate. Over the years, he's had players compete in as many as three sports in the school year.   “I am a huge advocate of multisport athletes and encourage them to all play as many sports as they would like to,” said Hucks in a January 2022 interview after one of his players, Will McFarland, suffered a season-ending knee injury in basketball. “Injuries are unfortunately a part of sports, but we cannot let fear keep us from competing.  We have had some very unfortunate injuries in the past couple years to some of our best players, but I will always support them playing another sport.”   As the Wildcats made another baseball playoff run, new head coach Dustin Curtis waited on wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='464895' first='Brandon' last='Cromer']. He's joined by rising seniors in wide receiver Jackson Cionek, running back Tyler Derienzo, tight end and reliever Cameron Sutton and safety Jackson Burton.   Other Midlands baseball playoff teams with underclassmen football players:   Blythewood - QB [player_tooltip player_id='440461' first='Harrison' last='Collins']   Pelion – RB Carlos Rivera, QB Ashton Fallow, TE Ty Brown and OLB Todd Foster   North Central – QB Landan Anderson and QB Kade Baxley   [player_tooltip player_id='758179' first='Andrew' last='Jackson'] - QB Brady Williams

Ordinarily, Blaine Redmond would take part in various drills and set plays during the spring with the football team.