Laurel Hill battled the Bobcats tough for three innings before falling 13-2. The game was called after five innings on the mercy rule.
“They are a really good team,” Hobo coach Cory McSween said of Paxton. “They swung it really well. I’m proud of our guys, they challenged them at the plate really well and I felt like we were up to the challenge.
“I felt like for the most part on defense we picked it up (fielded) pretty good. We battled them. We hung in there for a while.”
The Bobcats took a quick lead scoring five runs in the top of the first inning. It was a lead that would never be seriously challenged. But the Hoboes, at least for a brief time, made things interesting, scoring two runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Omerion Hill was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Cooper Degraaf followed Hill with a walk.
Both runners moved up a base on a passed ball. Hill scored on a wild pitch and Degraaf made it home from second base on a Bobcat error trying to get Hill out at home.
The Hoboes had at least one runner on base in every inning.
West Graves walked in the first inning. Laurel Hill had two runners reach in the second inning when Chance Oglesby singled and Brannon Henderson walked.
Bradley Stewart was hit by a pitch and Hill singled in the fourth inning. Benny Hudson reached on a Bobcat error and Oglesby walked in the fifth.
Clay Fowler got the start on the mound for Laurel Hill and worked into the fourth inning before being replaced by Hill.
Hudson gave up seven runs on seven hits and struck out three Bobcat batters. Hill surrendered six runs on four hits and struck out one Paxton batter.
McSween takes some positives from the early season game with the Bobcats.
“That’s a really good team,” he said. “They’ve been playing Pensacola Catholic, Andalusia and everybody else. They’ve got a really tough schedule so it’s only going to make us better playing them.
“Nate does a great job to get them ready and does things the right way.”
Talking to Hobo coach Cory McSween one might say that Hudson is the player that has a firm grip on what it takes to be a good baseball player and leader.
“He’s just always willing to help,” McSween said. “He never shies away from putting in the work. Anytime I ask him to do something he’s always up for the task and he’s a leader.
“Right now (as McSween was talking about Hudson), he’s kind of coaching the guys up there on some stuff. Some of our younger guys ran into some base running issues and he’s talking to them about it. He’s just a a very likable kid that you are going to miss.”
Hudson doesn’t look like your typical shortstop with a slender build of an antelope. But looks can be deceiving. He makes all the routine plays and can occasionally make a great play.
That shortstop savvy was on display against Alethia Christian when Hudson went into the hole to backhand a ground ball and keep a hit from going through and a run scoring. Rather than risking a throw that would allow the run, Hudson smartly held onto the ball.
McSween said Hudson is usually dependable on the mound displaying an ability to throw strikes. As the three-hole batter, Hudson will be counted on to deliver big hits as well.
Baseball might not be life for Hudson, but it is a way of life as is being a Hobo. Hudson has been at Laurel Hill School since elementary school.
“It’s been awesome in a small town,” Hudson said of growing up in Laurel Hill. “You know everybody and it’s just family.”
Hudson did play basketball until his sophomore year, but a coaching change led him to drop the sport and concentrate solely on baseball.
When talking about being on the baseball team, Hudson again talks of being part of a family. Hudson started playing baseball when he was three years old. The years of practice show in his baseball IQ.
And while most players prefer swinging the bat, Hudson would choose playing shortstop over hitting if he had to make a choice.
“I’d probably play the field because I feel like I’m pretty good,” he said. “You’re always involved (in the defense at shortstop).
“You’ve got to watch the second, you’ve got to watch third. You have to know what the pitcher is going to throw so you can sneak a couple steps either side (to the left or right to be in position for a play).”
Hudson knows how he wants to be remembered by his teachers, coaches and teammates. “I was very loyal and I played with all my heart and I didn’t leave anything on the field,” he said.
“Our pitcher tonight, Wyatt (Straight), threw strikes tonight and we were hitting it right off the bat,” Gator coach Preston Nixon said. “Pretty much everybody stood out tonight. I’m proud of the way we came out and swung the bat tonight.
“We started out cold in a couple of those games but tonight we came out and swung it (the bat) and swung it well. This game shows us what we can do and builds the confidence more. It will be exciting to see what this team can do.”
Straight struck out the first Eagle batter before giving up a walk and two hits. With the bases loaded and one out, Straight was able to work his way out of the jam striking out Chris Padgett on a called third strike and getting Braden Barnard to hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
Baker’s offense then took over in an impressive way. Seven Gators reached base before the first out was recorded. All seven scored and the route had begun.
Joel Morse led off the game for the Gators with a swinging bunt for a base hit. Judah Morse then laid down an actual bunt and was safe at first as his brother advanced to second base. Straight became the first Gator hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Cleanup hitter Maddox Smith delivered the third hit of the inning, a single to left to score Judah Morse and Straight. Joel Morse scored earlier on a wild pitch with Smith at the plate.
The onslaught continued as Austin Stanley singled, Riley Renfro was hit by a pitch and Kase Armstrong delivered a base hit. Stanley and Armstrong drove in runs with their hits.
Rand Stokes picked up a one-out hit and drove in a run to flip the Gator batting order.
Seven Gators in a row reached the second time through the batting order before Ethan Hardy recorded the second out of the inning, but it was a productive out, driving in a run.
Everyone in the Gator batting order either scored or drove in a run in the first inning.
Joel Morse scored two runs with a hit and being hit by a pitch. Judah Morse had two hits and scored twice. Straight was hit by a pitch, walked and scored twice.
Smith had two hits and scored two runs. Stanley scored two runs and reached on a hit and a walk. Renfroe was hit by a pitch, had a hit, drove in two runs and scored one. Armstrong scored a run, drove in a run, had a hit and was hit by a pitch.
Hardy popped out and grounded out but drove in a run while grounding out. And Stokes had a base hit, scored and drove in a run.
Straight, Smith and Stanley scored for the Gators in the second inning.
Smith and Renfroe each had three hits. Straight, Smith and Stanley each scored three runs. The Gators finished the game with 13 hits.
The only two Eagle runs came on a pair of Gator errors in the fourth inning.
Straight worked four innings on the mound for Baker striking out five Eagle batters and giving up three hits and two unearned runs.
Smith worked the fifth and final inning on the mound for Baker holding the Eagles scoreless.
The Hoboes scored their only run of the game in the first inning when leadoff man Omerion Hill walked, stole second and third and scored on a throwing error by the Lion catcher.
Laurel Hill batters struggled at the plate with only three hits while striking out 17 times. The Hoboes struggled on the mound as well, issuing 12 walks and hitting a batter.
Even with a disappointing start to the season, Hobo coach Cory McSween is optimistic about the upcoming season.
“We’re not, we’re not going to panic,” he said. “This is the first game. We’ve got five seniors that have poured a lot into the program. They’ve been with me since they were in the eighth grade.
“We ran into a pretty good little team. We’ve got to do a better job of putting the ball in play and throwing strikes.”
Eighth grader Weston Graves will see plenty of playing time at first base for Laurel Hill.
McSween said starting pitcher Clay Fowler had a good outing and kept the Hoboes in the game for a while. The biggest concern McSween has is the way Hobo batters struggled with hitting the fastball. Even so, he still says things are looking up for the team.
“I think we got a chance to win a few,” he said. “Benny Hudson, Clay Fowler, Omerion Hill, Chance Oglesby and Justin Bolton have been a part of the program, probably, since before I got here. But I’ve had them since they were in the eighth grade and they’re great kids.
“They work really hard and I think they’ve got a chance to put some Ws in the column for their old Hoboes this year.”
The Hoboes have a sixth senior in Adrian McRae, who hasn’t been with the baseball team as long as the others. McRae has been a standout in basketball at Laurel Hill.
Senior catcher Omerion Hill has been with the Laurel Hill varsity baseball team since the eighth grade.
Hudson is the team leader playing shortstop and pitching. Fowler will probably be the top arm on the mound.
Hill will start at catcher, Oglesby at second base and Bolton in the outfield.
Junior Brannon Henderson and sophomore Cooper Degraaf will be in the outfield as well. Rounding out the infield are sophomore Bradley Stewart at third base and eighth grader Weston Graves at first.
McSween said Laurel Hill’s season will depend on how well the Hoboes do the basics of baseball. Basically, we’ve got to be able to find a way to the ball in play and just give us give our defense a chance,” he said. “And we have to do a better job hitting the fastball.”
“I just think we were over matched at the plate,” Bulldog coach Tim Gillis said. “They had a good arm on the mound. He’s a good player and he competed real hard.”
Jordan Martinez took care of business for Mosley on the mound and at the plate.
Martinez worked five innings and struck out seven batters while giving up the two hits to St. Vincent. He also walked one Bulldog.
Martinez was Mosley’s top bat as well from the leadoff spot in the lineup. He was 3-for-3 with a walk and his courtesy runner, JT Bowins scored twice.
Bulldog starting pitch Kameron McCord struggled in the first inning giving up hits to Martinez and Peyton Williams, the first two batters he faced. Both would score, giving the Dolphins all the runs they needed for the win.
Mosley added a run off McCord in the fourth inning.
McCord turned in the defensive play of the game in the third inning when, with Bowins running for Martinez at second base, Williams popped the ball up on a bunt attempt. McCord made a diving catch to record the out on Williams and fired to second base to double off Bowins.
McCord worked four innings and gave up three runs on six hits and a walk. He also struck out five Dolphins.
Turtle Nocher’s appearance on the mound in the fifth inning was tough. The Bulldog senior gave up four runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter.
Asher Kimbrough worked the sixth inning on the mound for Crestview allowing two hits and a walk.
Andrew Dauphin finished the game on the mound for Crestview in the seventh inning and retired the side in order.
St. Vincent’s hits came in the second and fourth innings.
Jace Jernigan reached on a fielder’s choice in the second inning when St. Vincent was out at second base. Jernigan stole second base and was one of only three Bulldogs to make it to scoring position.
McCord, Brandon Kopp and Connor Riffe all walked. Kopp made it to second but was picked off. McCord reached second when Riffe walked.
“After the first inning Kam was really good, and that’s the positive,” Gillis said. “And a couple guys at the very end, Asher Kimbrough and Andrew Dauphin came in and through strikes. That’s what we need.”
Crestview pitchers walked 10 Eagle batters and hit another two men at the plate. Four of the Eagle walks led to runs.
The Bulldog offense was anemic at best producing just two hits with one being of the infield variety.
Crestview coach Tim Gillis was quick to sum up the performance of his team.
“We walked too many guys,” he said. “We didn’t give ourselves a chance at the plate either. And again, we played a good team.
“I hope we would get it (a bad game) out of our system, but I didn’t see much of that (possibility). There were some bright spots, but not enough to do any damage against a really good team.”
The Bulldogs only had seven batters reach base while nine men struck out.
On the bright side, junior pitcher Kameron McCord threw two scoreless innings and struck out two in his appearance on the mound to start the game.
Elijah Martin had a hit, walked and scored for the Bulldogs. Landon Garner’s base hit scored Martin.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to open the regulars season Feb. 20 at home against Mosley in a 5 p.m. game.
St. Vincent said NWFS offers him everything he’s looking for in baseball as well as his education.
Like many high school baseball players, St. Vincent has vision of playing professional baseball. He thinks going the junior college route seems to be the best way to get to professional baseball as quickly as possible.
“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity,” he said. “I mean, all the doors that they open. You can go anywhere you want to even the MLB (Major League Baseball) draft after one year or two years.
“If you go somewhere that’s a Division 1 or Division 2 school, you must wait three years (to be drafted) or transfer back (to junior college to be drafted after two years out of high school). It’s just not as many doors (to professional baseball).”
St. Vincent is also high on the Raider coaching staff led by head coach Doug Martin.
“The coaching staff they have there, and all of the insight and coaching they are going to give me,” St. Vincent said, “it’s going to be a great opportunity. They have a lot of connections to D-1 schools and a lot of MLB scouts they play in front of.”
With a 4.3 grade point average, St. Vincent is focused on the academic opportunities offered at Northwest Florida State.
“I’m going to major in physical oceanography,” he said. “There are some schools that have great oceanography programs. UWF (University of West Florida) right down the road has a great oceanography program.
“Another school I’ve looked at is Florida International. They have a great oceanography program.”
St. Vincent said the Raider coaches will use him as a two-way player, meaning he’ll pitch and play the field he doesn’t pitch. He has played third base since his sophomore year at Crestview but played in the outfield as a freshman.
The thought process behind St. Vincent playing the outfield on days he doesn’t pitch is it will be less stressful on his arm.
St. Vincent said the closeness to home as he moves into his adult life was another factor in picking NWFS.
“This tremendous mom and dad are 25 minutes down the road,” he said. “All my players that I’ve grown up playing with my whole life, I can come see them anytime and they can come see me anytime. It’s almost like a small step in the real adulthood.”
St. Vincent is the latest of a line of players Bulldog coach Tim Gillis has sent to Northwest Florida State. Among them are Corey Armstrong, David Pyle, Anthony Brown, Trey Hayes and John Gillis.
“I believe it’s one of the top programs in the country, I really do,” Gillis said. “If you look at the results, you can’t really argue with that. They are in one of the top conferences in the country.
“The Panhandle Conference is one of the top three or four college baseball conferences in the country. “But again, we’ve had a good relationship with the coaches there for a long time. They trust me as well as I trust them.”
St. Vincent treasures the opportunity he’s had to play for Gillis.
“Coach Gillis, he’ll forget more than most people will ever know about baseball,” he said. “The level that he played at in the Minor Leagues. Playing for a guy like him is more than I could have hoped for.”
Gillis has seen a lot of players through the years and St. Vincent has that factor that makes him.
“The guys a tireless worker,” he said. “He’s grown, obviously physically, because he works. He knows the game, is a student of the game and so there’s always striving to be better.
“I just think he’s got a lot of upside. I think it’s a good fit for him (NWFS).”
Crestview baseball coach Tim Gillis, a baseball lifer having played for the Bulldogs before going on to play college baseball and minor league ball in the Atlanta organization, is now in his 22nd season as the top Dog in the dugout.
And even after a lifetime in the game, Gillis, who turns 56 on Friday, still looks forward to another baseball season.
Each season presents a new set of challenges and a new roster, but Gillis likes what he has seen from the 2024 Bulldogs in preseason camp.
“We’ve had a couple of weeks of preparation, and we’ve got some really good kids that work hard,” he said. “From that aspect, things are going super. The weather has been solid. We got lucky the first week (of practice) wasn’t as cold as the week prior to that. It really has been a good couple of weeks.
Baseball people will tell you that a team can never have enough pitching, and the Bulldogs look to have a strong staff this year.
“We had a couple of injuries last year (with the pitching staff),” but those guys are back and healthy,” Gillis said. “And then there are a couple of real young guys that could step in and help as well, but we have some good quality depth on the mound this year.
“We’ve got Anthony St. Vincent back for his senior year. And Kameron McCord, who was injured last year, was one of our better guys before he went down.”
Gillis said a former Bulldog, Kaleb Kompoltowicz, who moved out of the area when his military parents were transferred out of the area, is back at CHS and he’ll see action on the mound. The coaches simply call him, “KK.”
Asher Kimbrough, Andrew Dauphin, Brandon Kopp, Jace Jernigan and Cooper Cantrell will also see time on the hill. Bulldog starting quarter in the fall, Turtle Nocher, will spend most of his time at catcher, but he’s another experienced big-game pitcher Gillis can go to.
The team lost a key player last fall when Jaden Appleby, the projected starting centerfielder, suffered an injury during football season. Gillis said the team is still holding out hope Appleby, a senior, will be able to join the team later in the season.
St. Vincent returns as a power guy at the plate. Conner Riffe, Maddox Reeves, Jernigan and Cantrell will provide experience and talent at the plate and in the field.
“We’ve got some depth and I’m excited to see how things shake out,” Gillis said.
The veteran coach believes the Bulldogs can be competitive in a tough District 2-6A that features Niceville, Mosley, Leon and Chiles.
The Bulldogs open the regular season at home against Mosley on Feb. 20. Niceville is the only other team from the district Crestview will face prior to the district tournament.
“The district is so tough,” Gillis said. “We’re in there with Niceville, Mosley, Chiles and Leon, who won the district last year. They’ve got one of the best pitchers in the area so it’s going to be obviously very, very tough.
“We like to play good people,” Gillis continued. “We’re going to be competitive and hopefully we can come out on the winning end a lot more of the time this year.”
Shoemake will be reunited with 2022 Crestview baseball grad Bryce Dolce, who is a pitcher for the Wildcats.
Shoemake has been one of the leaders in every statistical category for the Bulldogs in recent years ranking in the top three in batting average, hits, stolen bases, on base percentage and more.
The move to the outfield seems natural as at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Shoemake’s frame is more suited for roaming the open spaces of the outfield than absorbing the punishment associated with catcher.
Shoemake has mixed emotions about stepping away from catching.
“It feels good (not to be catching), but I’m going to miss it,” he said. “I like it, but I just want to play. Having played catcher will help me a lot as an outfielder. It puts me in positions to know what I need to do in certain situations.”
Shoemake has been busy this summer trying to get bigger and stronger while continuing to improve his baseball skill sets.
Having Dolce’s familiar face on the Mobile campus is a plus for the first-time college player.
“He (Dolce) tells me to calm down and that it’s not as scary as it seems and I can do it,” Shoemake said of Dolce’s advice.
Bulldog coach Tim Gillis has no doubt that Shoemake will be successful at the junior college level.
“He exemplifies what Crestview is all about,” Gillis said. “He’s tough and just a strong young man. He’s a winner, and I’m super proud for and I’m super proud for what his family’s done for him.
“He’s like a Swiss army knife. He can play anything and plays it all at a very high level. He’s going to be above average at every position he plays.”
Shoemake relishes his time playing for Gillis, a former minor league player with a wealth of baseball knowledge.
“It’s been awesome,” he said. “Hearing from kids that played for other coaches and say how much they hate them, I’m sitting think, ‘My coach is perfect. Everything I want him to do for me, he does it and more.’
“He’s always prepared us for the hardest situations.”
Shoemake hopes Bishop State is just the next step in his baseball journey. He would like to continue playing college baseball at a Division I or Division II level after his time with the Wildcats is complete. And, like many young baseball players, he dreams of getting a shot at professional baseball.
Whether or not Shoemake makes it to professional baseball remains to be seen, but Gillis sees a bright baseball future for him at the college level.
“He’s a grinder at bat kind of guy,” he said. “He puts a lot of balls in play and puts a lot of pressure on the defense. Plus, he can run.
“He’s got great instincts on the bases. Obviously, when you go to the next level, you will struggle from time-to-time. He’s got a good head on his shoulder and will work through the problems.”
The 2019 Crestview High School graduate hasn’t thrown a competitive pitch in about a year. His dream was put on hold last July when he blew the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm when attempting to throw a fastball.
Gillis, who plays at the University of South Alabama, was pitching in a summer college league in Virginia for the Woodstock River Bandits at the time of the injury.
“I didn’t throw (pitch) much until about the second half of the (2022 South Alabama) season,” Gillis said. “That’s why I went and played summer ball. I was doing really, really well. It was my last outing.
“My dad had just flown in to watch me pitch and I felt good,” Gillis continued. My velocity was what it had been all summer (around 95 miles per hour).”
John said Tim had doubts about how hard he was throwing until he saw the mid-90s number on the radar gun.
“He gets up there and he gets to see the radar gun and sure enough (mid-90s),” Gillis said. “I threw the same pitch two times in a row and one was 10 miles an hour less than the other.
“I went numb and felt a sharp pain in my elbow,” Gillis continued. “That’s when I kind of knew that was my time (for a major injury).”
Gillis never had arm problems prior to the injury. Nor had he thrown a large number of pitches in his career due to the pandemic and a car accident that limited his time on the mound post high school.
The injury occurred on July 27, 2022. Gillis stayed with the team an additional day to help chart pitches. On July 29, John and Tim made the 14-hour drive from Virginia to Crestview, arriving home around 5 p.m. Gillis then drove straight to the South Alabama campus in Mobile to be examined by the Jaguar trainers and team doctors.
“I had a consultation with the team doctor at 10 a.m. the next morning (July 30),” Gillis said. “Within 48 hours, I’m back in Mobile getting that process started because you can’t just go in and get an MRI. Now it was expedited, so I got to go in and get an MRI.”
The MRI showed damage, but before scheduling a major surgery, the doctor recommended resting the injured arm. When Gillis’ pain continued to get worse while attempting everyday things, the surgery was scheduled.
Gillis got his hopes up when he learned the surgery would be performed at Andrews Institute. He was thinking of Andrews at Baptist Hospital in Gulf Breeze. Instead, the surgery was performed at the original Andrews location in Birmingham, Ala.
More than three months passed between the injury and when Gillis had the surgery done on Nov. 8, 2022.
The rehabilitation process after the surgery is long and difficult even for a man in his early 20s.
“I did not touch a ball (again) until I believe it was the end of March,” Gillis said. “When you first start throwing, obviously you feel like a baby giraffe trying to walk. I had no idea where the ball was going. This is just the weirdest thing I’ve ever felt. Because I’m so used to throwing. I was used to throwing with pain.”
Gillis said the South Alabama coaches and training staff have been supportive every step of the way and want to see him back on the mound next spring.
“They’re (South Alabama coaches) very adamant on my recovery and making sure that I have the things that I need,” he said. “My strength coach is who I work closely with because I’m just lifting weights. I’ve been lifting weights for the last seven months with them. They still had a season to play. I couldn’t travel with the team this year. I could only be at home games.”
Gillis knows that once he is fully recovered from the surgery, he will have to earn playing time and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You can get away with a lot more in high school than you can in college,” he said. “College is more business, if you don’t produce, you don’t play. If you don’t get stuff done, you’re not going to play.
“That’s what I like about it because it kind of keeps you on your toes as a person and as a player to,” Gillis continued. “Be the best you can be every day and just bring what you have to the field that day.”
Gillis took a medical redshirt this season. If he understands what he has been told, Gillis still has four years of eligibility left to play college baseball.
However many of those years he uses, he’ll do so as a graduate student as he completed his degree this year.
At 6-foot-four inches and 215 pounds, Gillis has the size professional scouts look for in a pitcher. The fact he was throwing in the mid-90s also helps his chances of getting a look from a professional team.
Former Crestview High School baseball player John Gillis compared rehabbing his arm after surgery to a baby giraffe learning to walk.
If professional baseball doesn’t work out, Gillis would like to get into some sort of medical sales. His interest in the field has been sparked as he has gone through the surgery and rehabilitation process following his injury.
“I’ve been in contact with a couple of teams and scouts that I’ve met when I was at Northwest Florida (State College),” he said. “I just developed relationships with them. I mean, obviously, I haven’t talked much, but just kind of get to talk to them and see how that process goes is really neat.
“I can’t live off of, ‘What if, what if this, what if that?’ he said. “I can only take what I have now and move forward with that. And I’m ready for it. I feel like this surgery has made me a better person and a better man.”
