Middle infield serves as key cog for defending state champion New Albany Eagles
Having played journey baseball at some level considering that he was 9, Owen Johnson downplayed his adjustment to turning into the starting off 2nd baseman for defending Division I state champion New Albany.
The junior designed guaranteed to credit score the player to his correct for easing the changeover when vital.
Mentor Dave Starling pointed to the center infield of Johnson and junior shortstop Oliver Shroyer as 1 of the team’s strengths as the Eagles enter the remaining couple of weeks of the normal period.
“They’ve been so reliable defensively and at eighth and ninth in the buy, they’ve been making. You just cannot check with any extra out of the base of the get,” Starling claimed. “You want people today there for the guys coming up at the best (of the lineup). They’ve been there in advance of.”
Just after beginning all of last period, Shroyer has develop into one of the Eagles’ prime hitters in addition to remaining a defensive stalwart. By way of 16 games, he was batting .514 with 18 hits, five doubles, 10 RBI and eight walks.
Johnson was batting .316 with 12 hits, 16 RBI, two doubles, a house operate and nine walks. His typical climbed 38 points in an April 23 sweep of Olentangy Liberty (7-4) and Oberlin Firelands (14-8) as he went 3-for-6 with a few RBI.
New Albany was 13-3 general and 6-1 in the OCC-Ohio Division – alone in initially put – in advance of taking part in Westland on April 28.
A 4-2 win at Pickerington North on April 22, in which Shroyer delivered equally respiration room and the eventual successful runs with a two-run double in the fifth inning, place New Albany atop the league.
“I like my offense. It is finding improved,” Shroyer mentioned. “I’m striving to target far more, remain in the zone and remain locked in.”
He and Johnson started playing for New Albany Youth Baseball at age 9 and did so for three a long time. Numerous recent superior university teammates from that method ended up on New Albany 12U Gold’s Little League condition championship team in 2018 that arrived in two wins of advancing to the Little League Planet Sequence.
“It just feels a great deal far more relaxed out there, to be trustworthy,” reported Johnson, who succeeded 2021 graduate Mattox Mead at next base. “In journey ball, I enjoy with a great deal of fellas I never actually know that effectively and it’s just not the identical. (Shroyer) and I talk super properly. We know when to joke and have fun and when to be significant and do our work opportunities.”
Ranked eighth in the Division I state poll of April 25, New Albany is scheduled to complete OCC-Ohio perform with 6 games May well 2-11, sandwiched close to the district tournament draw May perhaps 8.
“I assume we’ve been fun to check out,” Shroyer stated. “Good communication has been the critical. We chat a large amount. We have fun. We just try out to have enjoyable and which is why I assume we’re doing fairly very well.”
@ThisWeekDave
This post originally appeared on ThisWeek: Baseball: Center infield serves as key cog for New Albany
