Ragsdales late-season hot streak 'can't be quantified'

JAMESTOWN - Donnie Maness didn't know what to expect from this year's Ragsdale baseball team after losing key players and only returning four starters. This week, he called the team's late-season hot streak something he couldn't quantify.

After beginning the year 8-3, the Tigers (14-9, 8-2) lost 10-0, then 3-1 to Grimsley, games that made the eventual Metro 6A/7A Conference champion Whirlies the conference frontrunner. The Tigers then traveled to Titusville, Florida, for a spring break tournament where they lost, 5-2, to Astronaut High school of Titusville. A 21-1 loss to Merritt Island served as a wake-up call.

In the Merritt Island game, Ragsdale gave up eight extra-base hits and committed four errors. The game was reminiscent of the 10-0 Grimsley loss.

Ragsdale rallied to close the regular season on a 6-1 streak and a 14-8 record. They finished second in the conference behind Grimsley.

"I think we all realized we needed to be more competitive and once they got up, we just let them keep growing (their lead) on us," said senior Kyle Maness, the coach's son who is second on the team in batting average and ERA. "From there, we kind of sparked the flame."

Coach Maness said the team's improvement came after a feeling that it didn't have enough fight after falling behind. Kyle felt the same way. while the Tigers' other key pitcher, Ryan Hendricks, said the team had high expectations and had bonded but lost its ability to play as a team during the skid.

The team's batting average before the Merritt Island game was .290 and has edged up to .291 since then, although during that four-game losing skid including, the team batted just .198 and only scored four runs.

Hendricks pointed to hitting coach Ben Bradford, who was absent for about a month because of surgery, according to Donnie. He said that the team lost its ability to hit the ball when Bradford left, but his return meant getting their swings back and started doing their jobs.

"Coach Bradford, I've never had a hitting coach that makes me do stuff in the cage that will translate so well into the actual game off pitching," Hendricks said. "I've had a lot of hitting coaches that teach me things and they are really good when you are hitting in the cage or in batting practice, but when you see the live arms, everything is going to change. Bradford does a really good job of keeping us very realistic with our swings…"

Ragsdale's pitching has been largely strong, compiling a 3.64 ERA, with Hendricks going 5-2 with a 1.57 ERA and Maness going 5-1 with a 1,67 ERA. The two of them have combined for 112 strikeouts and 28 walks over a74 innings.

"Probably a three-pitch mix," said Donnie on the two pitchers' effectiveness. "Good fastballs, really good off-speed breaking balls and a changeup and they locate all three of those pitches whenever they want for the most part. So the fact that they go out there and the hitter doesn't really ever have a comfortable look at what's coming I think gives them a chance to win ever time they come out."

Offensively, they're fourth in the conference in batting average (.290) and OPS (.816), although that doesn't factor in opponent strength. Junior Thristan Figueroa (.426, 3 HR, 21 RBIs) and Maness (.397, 23 RBIs) have been the key hitters, but the coach hopes more players contribute in the playoffs.

Defensively, there isn't a decided pattern. While their three games with the most errors were each losses, the Tigers also have six losses having committed two errors or less.

Ragsdale entered the last week of the regular season tied for second place in the conference at 6-2 with archrival Southwest Guilford, the team it would play in a two-game series. Players felt a heightened sense of competitiveness, Maness said, leading up to the rivalry matchups that had conference implications.

"We went into that game knowing it was going to be tough," Hendricks said. "Southwest can really hit. I mean, they are a good team. They've got some good pitchers on the mound and we went in there expecting a hard challenge."

In game one, Ragsdale won, 7-1, after jumping to a 4-0 lead after two innings with the help of Maness' RBI double and senior Aiden Chafin's only home run of the year. The Tigers tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth, with Hendricks and Maness scoring off a double to left by Figueroa.

The score in game two was tied at 1-1 entering the fifth as Hendricks and Southwest's Kaden Morgan met for a pitchers' duel in which each starter gave up just two hits. Ragsdale pulled ahead with Figueroa's bases-loaded, one-out single to left off reliver Brendan Snyder and a run-scoring groundout by Elijah McNeill.

"Mainly, I thought we had a couple pitchers kind of stand on their head," Donnie said. "I mean, I thought they were really good. Obviously, Southwest, if you look at their MaxPreps offensive numbers, they can hit."

The two teams face-off again on Tuesday in the conference tournament semifinals, with Southwest's offense erupting for 12 runs off 12 hits to win 12-7. McNeill only lasted two innings as the starting pitcher, after allowing five runs, three earned.

Ragsdale trailed 12-4 in the last inning, but McNeill hit a three-run home run with two outs as a sign that the Tigers were still fighting.

The Tigers rank 21st in the state 6A RPI as of Wednesday as their playoff spot remains uncertain with other teams still playing in conference tournaments.

"I just think we have to keep the same competitiveness that we've had the last couple of games and ride the ship from there," Maness said.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.