Though the varsity baseball team did not have the hottest start to the season, the guys rebounded well in time for the district tournament Saturday, May 12.
In their first 10 games, the team won five and dropped five.
Despite the start, the Bruins have a good team history when it comes to district titles, having won eight historically. By May 7, RBHS was 16-13, and was picking up momentum.
The coaching staff for the team includes assistant coaches Jeff Bazat, Jansen Smith, John Hay, Matt Nivens, Scott Thompson, Terry Whitney and sophomore manager Mackenzie White all working under tutelage of head coach Justin Towe.
Towe has a sharp mentality, especially when it comes to district tournament time.
“Our goal every year is to win a district championship, so that’s all we focus on, and the whole year is a lead up to that goal.” Towe said. “It’s not an easy one, but, you know, that’s why we have a long season.”
Towe has to have an aggressive attitude, which he maintains well.
“This year, we are really fighting for the one or two seed because the first two seeds only play two games [in the tournament] as opposed to three,” Towe said. “With the way our makeup is with our pitchers and our team, as young as we are, we have a pretty good opportunity if we play two games. If we played three games, it just gets a lot harder.”
Towe’s mindset has affected his players, shaping them into team leaders. One of these players is senior Jack Roush.
“Our goal every year is to win a district championship,” Roush said. “Our preparation throughout the season helps us reach that goal. Coach Towe has a very intense coaching style. We make every situation in practice like a game. This helps us for big games when the pressure is on.”
To add more stress, there are many teams for RBHS to watch out for and prepare to face off against.
The Hickman Kewpies are in first place in the district at [21-10]. In second is Smith-Cotton at [15-8]. The Bruins are in last place out of six teams at [16-13].
Kewpies’ head coach Mason Mershon has experience with the Bruins in the district tournament.
“It’s always a great atmosphere, and we know that it’s going to be a tough game to win. We know that Rock Bridge is going to give us their best,” Mershon said. “We’re obviously going to go out there and try to play our best baseball. Coach Towe does a great job over there of coaching those guys.”