LANCASTER – The fact that the Fairfield Christian Academy baseball team only has 11 players on their varsity roster, would be of concern to some, but for the Knights, it has galvanized them as a team.
FCA, which has won the Mid-State League-Cardinal Division championship the last two years, might be small in numbers, but they are making up for it with enough talent returning, and a togetherness that should allow them to thrive.
The Knights opened their season Tuesday night in a nonconference game against Centerburg, and they were able to do all the little things it takes to win.
Junior pitcher Brayden Stem was outstanding on the mound, and the Knights were able to manufacture enough runs early to take control in an 8-2 victory at Beavers Field.
“We had a lot of open hitting and lifting in the offseason, and these were the guys who showed up,” FCA coach Jason Baker said. “These guys love being around each other, and you can feel it in practice, and you can see the way they care about each other. There is a lot of unity with this team, and they take a lot of joy in each other’s successes.”
The Knights did a great job of getting the leadoff guy on, which they did in the first three innings, and each time, it led to runs. They scored a run in the first inning, two in the second, and four in the third to take a commanding 7-0 lead.
“I think early, we had some good quality at-bats to get the leadoff on,” Baker said. “We did a good job of finding ways to get runs across the plate in the first three innings, and then I thought our approach got a little too complacent as we got in the later innings.”
While the offense was doing its job – six of the nine batters in the lineup finished with at least one hit – Stem was doing his job on the mound by holding the Trojans hitless through five-plus innings.
“I was trying to get ahead in the count with fastballs and then working my breaking stuff in from there, and trusting my defense and let them do the work,” Stem said. “It is such a relief having a solid defense behind you and if the ball is in play, you got guys that are going to make plays, just like A.J. (Holbrook) did in the first inning when he made that diving catch in center field.”
Stem pitched six innings, giving up three hits and one run while striking out five. Harrison Teal pitched a perfect seventh inning.
“Brayden would tell you he didn’t have his A-game today,” Baker said. “We were 54 percent, first-pitch strikes, and we preach that we need to be closer to 70 percent, but I thought he did a really good job of coming back in counts and challenging hitters. Even though he didn’t have his best stuff, his B stuff was good enough.”
Josh Witte and Caleb White led the way, offensively, with two hits each.
Even though the Knights don’t have a lot of depth because of their lack of numbers, Stem said it makes the team that much more connected.
“We are using that to our advantage. We are all like brothers, we care about each other, and we are supportive of each other, and we do a good job of picking each other up if we make a mistake.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
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