Injured Jordan Montgomery still helping Green Hope

Green Hope junior Jordan Montgomery helped his Falcons go undefeated in the Bobby Murray Chevrolet Invitational High School Baseball Tournament on April 2, both on the field and outside the lines.

He might be the first base coach in the 29-year-old tournament to make the all-tournament team.

Coach Mike Miragliuolo’s team opened the tournament with a pair of wins over two Cap-8 Conference teams, 8-4 over Millbrook and 8-2 over Broughton. Montgomery, a third baseman and pitcher, made his mark in both games, hitting two doubles, driving in seven runs and throwing five shutout innings with six strikeouts.

Against Broughton, though, he was hit on a finger on his left hand while batting.

“The pitch came up and in on me,” Montgomery said. “I’m just glad it didn’t hit me in the face. I like my face.”

He started towards first base, but was called back to the plate, as the umpire called it a foul ball.

“But I opened my hand and showed it to the ump,” Montgomery said. “He saw the blood gushing and sent me to first base.”

A right-handed pitcher, Montgomery went back out to pitch the fifth inning and then left the game. He got stitches in the finger and showed up for Saturday’s game out of uniform, but still very much a part of the team.

“I can’t play today, but I’m here to help the team,” Montgomery said Saturday before the game against another Cap-8 team, Wakefield. “I can keep things going in the dugout and maybe coach first base.”

Sure enough, coach Mike Miragliuolo found himself a little short-handed on the coaching staff for the weekend, so he sent Montgomery to coach first base in the 11-1 win over Wakefield.

“As a junior, Jordan has really stepped up big-time, in the dugout, making plays in the field, pitching and hitting,” said senior catcher Drew Hegeman, a team leader and .335 hitter. “He basically does everything for us.”

Montgomery joined the Green Hope varsity team during his sophomore season and worked his way into the lineup, mostly as a designated hitter, over the second half of the season.

“We were looking for him to come in this season and contribute as a middle of the lineup hitter,” Miragliuolo said. “He had been hitting sixth but was going to move up. We also counted on him to be one of our top three pitchers with Chris Joyner and Mitch Spence.”

Montgomery was right on track, fulfilling the coach’s expectations, but will miss a little playing time. He pitched last this week, but can’t hit while his finger heals.

“It’s a little bit of setback, but he’ll be back,” Miragliuolo said. “He should be able to pitch but won’t be able grip a bat yet.”

“I’m not used to sitting out,” Montgomery said. “I’m ready to get back in there because I was seeing the ball really well at the plate, and had just figured out a timing mechanism that helped me at bat.”

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Injured Jordan Montgomery still helping Green Hope."