Sissonville baseball coach Chad Carpenter can’t pinpoint a specific time or game he felt the Indians were starting to maximize their potential.
But at this point, as the regular season winds down for the Indians, it’s safe to say they’ve done exactly that.
Winners of 11 straight, Sissonville (20-5) has risen to No. 2 in Class AA in the MetroNews Power Rankings and is approaching a month since its most recent loss.
“There’s a lot of confidence, but these guys take it day by day,” Carpenter said.
SHS will face Nitro on Thursday and conclude the regular season Friday against Greenbrier East before turning its attention toward what Carpenter hopes is a prolonged postseason run.
On Wednesday, Sissonville discovered it is the top seed in the nine-team Class AA Region IV, of which two squads will emerge to advance to the state tournament in Huntington.
With the likes of No. 2 seed Scott, No. 3 Logan, No. 4 Charleston Catholic and No. 5 Buffalo also part of the region, the Indians will unquestionably have their work cutout to continue the winning ways.
Sissonville split two regular season matchups with the Skyhawks and Irish, defeated the Bison in the lone meeting and did not face the Wildcats, giving them a 3-2 mark against a plenty formidable quartet of teams within the region.
While well aware of the competition that lies ahead, Carpenter’s message remains consistent as it’s been throughout the course of a win streak that started April 22 with a 6-3 victory against Buffalo.
“I preach all the time we’re not playing the other team, we’re playing the ball,” Carpenter said. “They’ve really bought into that. It makes no difference who we’re playing. It’s see the ball, field the ball, throw the ball, catch the ball, and they’re buying into that. I’m super proud of what they’ve done so far. Obviously, we’re not done. We have a few games left and then regionals and we’ll go from there, but it’s one day at a time.”
The ongoing stretch of 11 straight wins features notable victories against Buffalo, Charleston Catholic, Williamstown, Scott and Doddridge County. The Irish, Bulldogs and Skyhawks each got the better of the Indians in the first regular season matchup.
Yet the youthful SHS roster, which features six juniors and five sophomores among 16 players, has continued to rise to the occasion and stay present.
In an 8-3 win at Doddridge County last Thursday, there were five sophomores, three juniors and a freshman in the starting lineup, including standout southpaw Layne Coffman, a sophomore who pitched a complete game and accounted for three of his team’s seven hits to lead the way in West Union.
“I told him in the huddle it’s easy for a pitcher to win when he has his good stuff, but what separates average guys from guys that are great is when you don’t have your good stuff and you can find a way to get outs,” Carpenter said.
Perhaps what’s most impressed Carpenter is the way his team, which has two seniors, has handled success.
He’s seen that suggests his team is on the verge of become content, something Carpenter and his staff work to instill among players.
“They know me too well to allow that to happen. I’m still on them and I want to make sure they understand every day is a new day, whether you win or lose the previous game,” Carpenter said. “Come to the ballpark like you’re 0-0 and that gives you a good chance for good things to happen.”