Jackson Ironmen 2014

[doubleplay643]

Ok, I will start a little conversation on this year's squad. Big upside potential for this team losing only a couple seniors and returning some very sound and fundamental younger players. Pitching with Shortridge, Sexton, Leach, Spriggs, Lemaster, Massie, and several others looks to be fairly deep.

Neal, Wyant, Parana, and Parks are the seniors with 3-4 years experience at Varsity level will contribute offensively and defensively.

Coach McGraw licking his chops with this run of kids coming through. End of February be here soon for practice and March games right around the corner. Bring on spring fellas and let's play ball.

[Ironman92]

Deep deep deep in talent. Hopefully the kids AND PARENTS buy in on their kid's role over the next several years. There simply won't be much use for a kid that ONLY plays 1 position, unless of course he is the best one. Pretty sure most of the talent pool from the seniors to the next 7 years down have learned multiple positions and are WILLING to do what is asked of them.

Baseball is one of the thriving sports in Jackson for sure.

[Poo Bear]

20 wins , league title , and district title should be the goal

[Ironman92]

20 wins , league title , and district title should be the goal

Make that "outright"

[doubleplay643]

Outright SEOAL Championship is the right thinking.

Goal should be to get through the round of play in Athens and play in Zanesville and win regional.

Injury bug needs to stay away, and keep everyone healthy, if so should run off 20 wins no problem. Rumor is defending State Champs Wheelersburg is not only on the scrimmage schedule but regular season schedule as well. Their program is nothing short of elite and playing them only makes us better no matter the result.

Ironmen JV will be I believe strongest in area and be a great feeder next year when several outstanding seniors hang up their HS cleats.

[Buckeye-4-Life]

What does the Ironmen have coming up from this years freshmen class?

[doubleplay643]

What does the Ironmen have coming up from this years freshmen class?

No one crucify me when I miss a name or two or four, because I am not so familiar with the Freshman class but the Hall kid has a pretty good arm pitching wise, Cooper, Roseberry, Potter and Lloyd are all pretty talented position players. Maybe a Storms kid but he might still may be an 8th grader actually, and I know I am missing about a dozen more so no one jump on me lol for missing someone.

Suffice to say that finding a spot on the JV and Varsity roster (34 or so spots ?? not sure how many they will carry) will be competitive. Good thing about Coach McGraw is even though he is loaded he is scheduling up and has 27 games I heard for the JV, so he is going to make them better and reload next year.

Be fun to sit on Huron Street this spring and watch either team play...be good baseball.

[Buckeye-4-Life]

Wow! With that many kids coming through, sounds like the future is bright in jackson!

[Poo Bear]

Wow! With that many kids coming through, sounds like the future is bright in jackson!

That is the goal. To get to the point where every year we cycle fundamentally sound, hard working baseball players trough the program every year. That way the success of jackson baseball doesn't graduate with this class or that class. Jackson is fortunate to have coach McGraw and enough quality coaches to teach the game at all levels. Wheelersburg is the gold standard for this.

[baller99]

Coach McGraw has his hands full who to play and where.Theres so much talent it hard to tell who the first 9 will be. Jackson only lost a couple players and jv was as good as some varsity programs mix in Freshman like Hall,Spriggs,Cooper,Roseberry,Potter. Be interesting to see how everybody has grown from last year. Could come down to hitting and knowledge of game from last year defense was pretty good just add some runs and cut out few mistakes and they win 20 last year.

[doubleplay643]

Didn't realize the younger of the Spriggs brothers was already a frosh, he will be a very good player. Just a lot to choose from it is a good problem to have, all due to several groups of people getting involved with recreation, travel ball and last year legion...the pay-off is all of these players.

Someone needs to duplicate it for roundball...maybe it is already happening, but if not, that is the ticket to long term success on the basketball court. Just takes a few years but wow does it ever pay-off.

[baller99]

Kids need to start playing basketball competitively at 9 or 10 like baseball and football. You can see the success the girls have had with this group of seniors.

[Ironman92]

Kids need to start playing basketball competitively at 9 or 10 like baseball and football. You can see the success the girls have had with this group of seniors.

It would help but basketball has pretty much always been 3rd at Jackson.

How many kids play all 3 sports? It's rare. Any of our better athletes of a particular class since Eric Landrum play all 3? Jared Humpreys.....Shane Wolford a couple years. Michael Morgan 20+ years ago....

Yeah, I've left some out but you get the idea. If most of the better Jackson athletes participated in basketball they'd have been better pretty much every year the past 2 decades.

I can't speak for the 9th-12th grades but from 2nd grade-8th grade every one of those groups (except 3rd grade) is pretty involved in competitive basketball.....but of all of those kids, very very few will do all 3 sports even though they may be very good at each. Football will get their's, collectively they are the most advanced at baseball and will keep playing...how many will have basketball as their top?....an continue to play....we'll see.

The girls on the basketball team are quite committed to just basketball. Ridout and Hoover would've been 4 year starters in softball....Ridout was as good at softball as any girl that has played the last few years and that team was very successful. Wills played softball....but is the only one that plays anything but basketball.

[Poo Bear]

There is people with a plan to start a jackson basketball league for boys and girls. It's still under wraps until season is over. It would be a great thing to get a couple hundred kids playing basketball. If nothing else it would be good exercise.

I agree that there isn't many 3 sport athletes anymore. I personally think that is ashame. These kids only get one chance to play high school sports. I encourage kids to play as much as they can. The idea to focus on one sport is misleading because college full ride scholarships are extremely rare. Even scouts encourage kids to play as many sports as they can. They want to see athletes and a kid who can effectively play 3 sports is obviously an athlete. Just go play and enjoy being a student.

[doubleplay643]

Lol, well I nominate Viking96 - I92 - iman24 to start a competitive travel type of program for youth roundball. Each of you are (were is probably more appropriate lol) players in your day, so go get after it guys.

When you starting?

[Poo Bear]

Things take time DP

[Ironman92]

Lol, well I nominate Viking96 - I92 - iman24 to start a competitive travel type of program for youth roundball. Each of you are (were is probably more appropriate lol) players in your day, so go get after it guys.

When you starting?

Not positive on iman24's kid playing competitive basketball when he was younger but I bet he did and he could definitely play today if he chose to. Viking96's boy has played competitive basketball and my kid is on one of the 4th grade teams and are in the league with Portsmouth, Ironton, Wheelersburg, Russell Kentucky, Valley, Minford, PWest and South Webster.

We played a 5th grade tournament at Logan Elm, and we are playing 4th grade tournaments at Rio, Greenfield, Rock Hill and Minford.

I would gladly help viking96 and his people to get something competitive established locally.

[bellyoption]

Anybody care to post their schedule? I would like to see them play at least once this year. I watched the Neal kid play a couple of times, he is a heck of a ball player. He can hit, field, and is pretty quick too!

[doubleplay643]

Anybody care to post their schedule? I would like to see them play at least once this year. I watched the Neal kid play a couple of times, he is a heck of a ball player. He can hit, field, and is pretty quick too!

If you go to the calendars section of the Jackson Bullpen website the games are shown there when you scroll through the months. First scrimmage is mid-march with first game last week in March. www.jacksonbullpen.com is the link.

[Buckeye-4-Life]

Any word on how preseason workouts are going? SEOAL should be interesting this season!