That fits what Bulldog baseball coach Tim Gillis said about his star receiver.

“He’s kind of a throwback baseball player,” Gillis said. “He’s one of those tough, get dirty kind of guys. He’s been just unbelievable for us.

“The pitchers feel confident throwing to him,” he added. “They know he’s going to block things. They know they can put breaking pitches in the dirt and he’s going to be right on it.”

Shoemake isn’t the first member of his family to play baseball for the Bulldogs. His older brother, Jackson, was a middle infielder who graduated in 2019.

It’s the desire to exceed his older brother’s accomplishments that motivates Javin.

“I’ve always tried to get better than him,” Javin said. “My goal since I could walk was to be better than him.”

That drive to better than Jackson has carried over in Javin’s drive to be the best player possible. Gillis sees that drive every day.

“I’ve loved him since day one,” Gillis said. “It’s been a pleasure (to coach him). He plays hard.

“He’s the heart and soul of our team,” he added. “He’s the heart and soul of our program. I don’t know where we would be without him.”

Shoemake’s dream is the same as many high school baseball players. He wants to play Major League Baseball and he doesn’t understand players that don’t share his ambition.

“That should be everybody’s dream out there,” he said.

Shoemake struggles with the frustration most baseball players share.

“The hardest part of the game is having a good knock (hitting the ball well) and not getting the results you want,” he said. “It’s weird how you can hit the ball as hard as possible and it becomes a swinging bunt.”

Gillis has experienced Shoemake’s frustration in his own baseball career and can relate to how he feels.

“He’s swinging the bat really, really good,” the coach said. “He’s hit into some bad luck, but he’s the guy in the clutch situation you want at the plate and he’s delivered all year.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some guys on (base) in front of him so he can knock some guys in,” Gillis added. “He’s just a coach’s dream.”

The end result was a 4-1 win by the Eagles.

“You’ve got to roll the ball (hit it) and put the ball in play,” Bulldog coach Tim Gillis said. “We didn’t do a very good job of that tonight. We haven’t done a good job the last four or five games.

“Hopefully, we’ll get better at it (putting the ball in play). So far we have not done that.”

No matter how you slice it, the Bulldog offense was bad. Only eight Crestview players reached base. Only two Bulldogs made it past second.

Javin Shoemake made it to third base. He walked, moved up to second when Anthony St. Vincent was hit by a pitch and took third on a wild pitch. All of it happening with two out in the bottom of the first inning.

Brayden Ruschmeier walked to load the bases and it looked like the Bulldogs might be in business.

With Aiden Justice at the plate things changed dramatically when he struck on taking two called strikes that were noticeably low, just above the top of his foot and below his ankle.

Justice was the only other Bulldog to reach third base. He walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh and scored on an one-out double by Cooper Cantrell.

Cantrell’s double was the only extra base hit Crestview had against Niceville pitcher Kai Bailey.

Crestview pitcher starting pitcher Kameron McCord and reliever Anthony St. Vincent weren’t bad. The duo held the Eagles to five hits, and none after the fourth inning.

 By that time the damage had been done.

Niceville scored a run in the top of the first when Brock Marello doubled and later scored on a wild pitch giving Niceville the early 1-0 lead. Marello delivered a bases-loaded triple in the second inning to push the Niceville lead to 4-0.

The playoffs would be a byproduct of some of the goals the Hoboes have set for the 2023 campaign.

“Our season goal is to finish over .500 (more wins than losses),” he said. “It’s been more than a decade so that’s our main goal.

“And then a couple other … steppingstones is we want to have a game where we don’t commit an error.  And we want to have a game where we don’t walk anybody.”

The steppingstones of one season can be used as steppingstones for the seasons to come. That’s what McSween is hoping for now that he’s had players with him since their freshman year or younger at the K-12 school.

“I like where we are,” he said. “I think we got a bunch of guys that kind of get along. And, after four years, you don’t have to explain every little thing that you want done.

“We’ve got some guys that have been around,” McSween added. “We’ve got some guys that want to work. I’m excited to see what we can do this year.”

Based on past seasons, McSween believes the strength of the Hoboes will be their defense.

“I think that we’re pretty solid defensively and should be able to score some runs,” he said. “I think the thing that the season is going to hinge on for us is what we do on the mound. It’s being able to throw strikes and kind of keep hitters off balance.”

Senior Josh Setterfitt and junior Benny Hudson have been two of the Hobo mainstays for McSween.

“Benny is kind of our utility guy,” McSween said. “You could see him just about anywhere.”

Clay Fowler, a junior, is expected to be the best bet on the mound for Laurel Hill.

“He’s had a little soreness in his shoulder,” McSween said, “hopefully he can bounce back.

“We’re looking for him to be the number one pitcher for us. After that, we hope everything falls into place.”

The Hoboes play in District 1-1A along with Baker, Northview, Central and Jay. Laurel Hill is the smallest school in the district.

If Laurel Hill is to have that winning season McSween is aiming for, the Hoboes will indeed need to take things one step at a time.

A baseball disaster is exactly what happened to the Hoboes as they lost 17-4. The game was called after five innings on the 10-run mercy rule.

“It was sloppy,” McSween said. “We weren’t in the positions we needed to be, and that’s on me. We have to come in here and fix that.

“Last week we didn’t make an error in a seven-inning game, and watching  us tonight, that would have been hard to believe. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t watched us. So, yeah, we have a lot of work to do.

The Lions scored two runs in the top of the first, but the Hoboes responded with a three-run bottom half of the inning.

Omerion Hill led off the Hobo first with a single to left field. He moved to second on a throwing error by the Lion pitcher and third on a wild pitch.

A one-out single by Benny Hudson scored Hill.

With two outs, Josh Senterfett and Clay Fowler reached on base hits.

An error by the Lions on Fowler’s hit allowed the Hobo duo to move up an extra 90 feet to second and third. Austin Bolton singled to left to score the pair.

Laurel Hill had five hits in the first inning. The Hoboes only had two more hits the rest of the game.

The Lions scored five runs in the second inning to move in front for good. They added three in the third, six in the fourth and a run in the fifth.

Laurel Hill scored its only other run in the third when Cooper Degraaf singled and moved to second base on an error by the Lion’s right fielder. He scored on a Setterfelt base hit.

The run and two hits were the last for Laurel Hill on the night.

Fowler was the starting pitcher for Laurel Hill and lasted two innings. Setterfelt worked the final three frames on the mound for the Hoboes.

It was the visiting Yellow Jackets who came out on top by a score of 5-1.

Senior Tucker Martin got the start on the hill for the Gators and things couldn’t have gone much worse through the first five batters. Martin walked three Yellow Jackets, hit one with a pitch and gave up a single to another as Cottondale took a quick 2-0 lead.

The bases were still loaded and nobody out when the ball finally bounced Baker’s way.

The Yellow Jackets attempted a squeeze play and Martin was able to get off the mound quickly and throw the ball to catcher Ethan Williams to retire the lead base runner at home for the first out of the inning.

Things got even better when the next batter lifted a fly ball to Wyatt Straight in right field. Straight made the catch for the second out of the inning and then threw a bullet to Williams to gun down the Yellow Jacket base runner who had tagged up and tried to take home. The double play got the Gators off the field and to the plate.

The problem was Baker had few if any answers for Cottondale starting pitcher Tucker Hinson.

Hinson walked Straight, the Gator leadoff batter. Judah Morse then beat out a bunt that was intended to be a sacrifice and Baker had runners on base on nobody out. Hinson worked out of the inning without allowing another Gator to reach as the score remained 2-0 in favor of the Yellow Jackets.

Cottondale added two more runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. Colton Weekley took the mound in relief of Martin with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth inning. The two runs Cottondale scored were charged to Martin.

Maddox Smith replaced Weekley in another bases loaded, one out situation in the fifth. Maddox got out of the jam allowing one run. He then worked the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a run.

Baker’s lone score came in the bottom of the fifth inning. Smith led off the inning with a walk and took second on a wild pitch.

Two quick outs later Smith was still at second. Walks to Straight and Morse loaded the bases. Weekley singled to score Smith, but that was all the offense the Gators were able to produce on the night.

“I thought our pitchers threw strikes, but they also had walks,” Gator coach Preston Nixon said. “Walks are big and we have to get rid of the walks. Defensively, I thought we played well tonight.

“After that (the first inning), I thought Tucker settled in and threw well, but we just couldn’t get anything across the plate. Cottondale is a good team. And I’m proud of the way our kids played.”

All three were clicking for Crestview’s baseball team on Friday when the Bulldogs hosted Okaloosa County rival Fort Walton Beach. The end result was a 5-1 Bulldog win.

Crestview pitchers Brayden Ruschmeier and Kameron McCord combined to allow just five hits while striking out nine. Ruschmeier, the starting pitching struck out five, allowed four hits and gave up two walks.

The only Viking run was a solo home run in the top of third inning by Fort Walton Beach designated hitter Brock Clayton. Clayton was the only Viking in the game to advance past second base.

Ruschmeier was shaky to start the game. But a shaky Rushmeier is still pretty good. The Clayton home run seemed to get his attention and his last three innings of work the senior was at his best.

“He (Ruschmeier) labored a little bit early,” Bulldog coach Tim Gillis said. “He threw way too many pitches in the first and second innings. After that he was better.

“He’s a winner. Every time out he’s going to give you everything he’s got. He’s a fun guy to coach and a great kid.”

McCord struck out four and allowed one hit in his two innings of work.

While Ruschmeier and McCord provided the good pitching. The Bulldogs had solid defense all the way around and didn’t commit any errors.

As for the timely hitting, there are five runs on just six hits.

Crestview got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning.

Bryson Martin led off the inning. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Robby Kopp. A base hit up the middle off the bat of Javin Shoemake scored Martin from second base.

Following the Clayton home run for the Vikings in the top of the third, the game was tied 1-1 when Crestview came to the plate in the bottom of the inning. The Bulldogs wasted no time in breaking the tie with what turned out to be the winning run.

Cooper Cantrell walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a throwing error on a pick off attempt by the Viking pitcher. He later scored when Martin reached first on a fielder’s choice.

The Bulldogs added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.

There was one out when Aidan Justice singled up the middle. Justice took second on a wild pitch and scored on a Connor Riffe single.

Riffe was on third base when Jaden Appleby struck out with first base open. When the Viking catcher was unable to catch the third strike cleanly, Appleby took off for first base.

Appleby was thrown out at first, but the Viking forgot about Riffe. When the throw went to first base, Riffe raced home with the most unusual steals of home you will ever see.

Crestview scored its final run of the game in the fifth inning. Shoemake walked and scored on a double by Anthony St. Vincent.

“I thought we played really well defensively tonight,” Gillis said. “I really like this team. I don’t know how far we are going to go (in the playoffs) or how many we are going to win.

“But they come to work at practice each day and they pull for each other. That’s what it’s all about.”

First-year Baker baseball coach Preston Nixon hopes to change that and get the team back to the playoffs, if not this year, in the near future.

Time will tell what kind of team the Gators will have this year, but Nixon likes what he sees from his players.

“They are good kids that work hard in everything they do,” he said.

Nixon believes the team should be strong defensively. Senior Colton Weekley will anchor a defense from shortstop that will include Kase Armstrong, Kurt Armstrong, Ethan Williams and Wyatt Straight.

The outfield will feature Judah Morse, Tucker Martin, Dustin Nixon, Weekley and Straight. Martin, a senior, will also see time at first base after missing last season due to a knee injury suffered in football.

One thing that stands out about this Gator team is the youth. Half the players on the 16-man roster are freshmen and two more are sophomores.

Morse and Kurt Armstrong are the only juniors on the team. The four seniors are Weekley, Williams, Martin and Nixon. This is Nixon’s first year playing baseball as he has concentrated on basketball in the past. Weekley and Williams are the only returning seniors from the 2022 season.

Dustin Nixon along with Weekley, Williams, Martin and Kurt Armstrong will be in the mix for time on the mound.

Preston Nixon isn’t ready to name his number one starter yet.

“We’ll have to see who throws the most strikes,” he said.

The coach likes the way several players have swung the bat during preseason. He named Weekley, Martin and Morse as some of the guys making the most of their opportunities at the plate.

Baker plays in District 1-1A. And while powerhouse Paxton has been moved to District 2-1A, the Gators will have their work cut out for them in a district that includes Jay, Northview, Central and Laurel Hill.

Preston Nixon isn’t ready to make any predictions about the season. He just wants to see the Gators improve from game to game and practice to practice.

“I’d just like to see us get better every day,” he said. “Where we started, we are better now. I just want that to continue.”

With a young team and continued improvement, it might not be long before the Gators are back in the playoffs.

The first two days of practice were set for tryouts. Once the cuts were made and a roster took shape, the Gators were going to get to work.

“I just want to see what everyone can do,” Nixon said of the evaluation process. “We are going to look at everything. Today (Jan. 23), we looked at outfield arm strength and running.

“Tomorrow (Jan. 24), we’ll look at the infield (if it dried up after rain over the weekend). We’ll look at them swinging (the bat) and anyone interested in (pitching). We will then go from there.”

About 10 basketball players are still in their season and weren’t available for the tryouts. Nixon has an idea of what several of the basketball players can do on the diamond, but they will still have to go through a similar process to make the team.

Former Major League Baseball player, John Kruk once said, “I ain’t an athlete, I’m a baseball player.” When asked if he preferred athletes or baseball players, Nixon said, “Both.”

“We are looking for anyone that can contribute, whether it’s on the base paths, in the field or around the plate,” he said.

Nixon is looking at more of a personality type than a skill set in a player that he hopes will equate to success for the Gators.

“I want someone that’s a good listener and will hustle,” he said. “There’s not one skill over the other.

“We’re gonna hit hard in the (batting) cages,” Nixon added. “We’ve got to be able to swing the bat and spot it up on the ball.”