“The best quality to have on a baseball team is brotherhood, and I think we have that,” states Cale Clary, player on the North Augusta baseball team since seventh grade. Thomas Monahon, baseball player for North Augusta, adds that “awareness” is also a key quality to have on a baseball team. Awareness of one’s strengths, and one’s weaknesses. These are the qualities both seniors hope to instill in the younger players on the team, and as leaders, they have been doing just that. Kaden Usry, also a member of the baseball team since seventh grade, states that “our team has come together more than it has in the past five years. We are very close and each of us has the others’ backs.” All three hope that given this year’s chemistry, the team will go on to great things in later games.
“We are starting the season off with a 3-2 record. We have wins over Strom Thurmond, Mid-Carolina and Saluda. Our losses were to Dutch Fork and Abbeville,” states Usry. This record is impressive due to the team being younger this year with several seniors graduating the year prior. “The whole pitching staff has begun using an entirely new conditioning program,” Monahon explains. Different methods are used to better the new pitchers on varsity this year. “The greatest strength this year is definitely our pitching,” Clary adds, “but we’ve also improved on our hitting a lot this year.” These are all steps towards winning the state competition at the end of the season.
Varsity baseball has, “improved in every aspect. When we compete and give it our all we can’t be beat,” states Usry, followed by a passionate “come watch!” Although every member on the the team is working hard, improving, and growing together, both Usry and Clary are specific players to watch, with Usry being ranked highly as a player in the state of South Carolina. Despite their late start to their season due to COVID pushing back athletics, the North Augusta Yellow Jackets are ready to take on any challenge that they are faced with and overcome it. The belief of the players on the North Augusta baseball team this year are best summed up by Usry when he stated, “just come watch the North Augusta varsity baseball team. We are going to open some eyes this year.”
Pictured above, is a team member of the varsity baseball tea at North Augusta High.
Pictured here: Cale Clary
Photographer: Ann Marie Partl
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