5/16/2022 0 Comments Week 11Welcome back to genius hour week 11! If you have been keeping up with the Davie Baseball team this year you know that this is my final blog post relating to our 2021-2022 season. We suffered a 10-0 loss in the second round of the state playoffs on Thursday night. This week was not all bad though as we went to Sun Valley in the first round and got a win against the number four team in the state. Before I reveal too much, lets get into the specifics. First things first the first round! We got the news on Monday that we would be playing Sun Valley high school on Tuesday in the first round of the state playoffs. They were the number four seed and we were the number 28 seed. To everyone looking at the match up it seemed like an impossible feat to go to their place and win this game, but we knew we could win this game, and that is exactly what we did. This game had one of the craziest atmospheres I have ever played in. The game was packed and Sun Valley had a whole student section that had some very choice words for us! We took the lead in the fourth inning and never looked back. I got to close the game out in the last inning and we won 6-4 and advanced to the second round. Onto round 2! Somehow, out of all of the 32 teams on our side of the bracket we somehow matched up against our biggest, in conference, rival in the second round. This game had so much hype surrounding it and if you lived in Davie or Clemmons you were at that game. We knew this game would not be easy because the last time we played them we beat them 24-10 in front of their home crowd. We started the game extremely flat and never recovered. We would go down early and never do anything to take the lead back. I did get to come into the game in the 5th inning to try and limit the damage, but I didn't have my best outing and we would ending losing the game 10-0. Even though we didn't end the season how we wanted, I will always remember this team and the memories we made. Come back next week for my last blog post! Next week I will be wrapping things up and giving details on my final project. Thanks for reading!
0 Comments
Welcome back to another week of genius hour! This week was a special week because it was the week of the conference tournament. The conference tournament is a huge event that happens every year. Our conference the (CPC) is one of, if not the best baseball conference in North Carolina. As you can imagine this is a competitive tournament every single year. Our first game was Monday against Glenn. If you read the last post you would know that this was a bit of a scary match up for us because they beat us on Friday. I was honored to get the start against Glenn. The only problem is, I didn't do too great. I only got 2 outs and had to come out of the game. I had a hard time throwing strikes and getting guys out. I gave up 3 runs, but none of them were earned. We ended up getting the win and advancing to the next round which is all that matters. Our next match up on Tuesday was against East Forsyth. We played East Forsyth twice already in the season and had lost badly to them twice. We knew this would be a difficult match up so we had to get locked in and compete. We started the game off extremely well taking an early 6-3 lead against their best pitcher. We held the lead for most of the game until the 6th inning rolled around and we ended up going down 11-6. We rallied back in the 7th and lost the game 11-10. We were one hit away from taking the lead, but it didn't quite happen. I didn't get to pitch in that game, but it was one of the best games we had played all year. Next week is the first week of state playoffs. As of now we will be the 29 seed out of 32 and it is still to be determined who we will play. Come back next week to see how we do in the state playoffs!
5/4/2022 2 Comments Week 9Another week of baseball! This week we played Glenn on Tuesday, High Point Christian Academy, and Glenn again. We beat Glenn on Tuesday, lost to High point on Thursday, and lost to Glenn on Friday. As you can see it was a tough week in terms of wins and losses, but that is okay because we were already locked into fourth place in the conference. I did have to miss the game on Thursday against High Point because of the National Honor Society introduction meeting. Now that we have reviewed the week lets get into some specifics! On Tuesday at Glenn we played at their place. Glenn was 7-15 but they are a dangerous team that is capable of beating anyone. They played a good game, but we eventually came away with the win, 3-0. Our starter pitched the entire game and did an amazing job. While I didn't get in the game I did learn a lot about Glenn's hitters by watching what he threw to them. This helped me out later in the week. As I stated earlier I didn't get to attend the game on Thursday because I had to attend the NHS meeting. The game did not go well for us as we ended up losing the game 23-10. As you can tell our pitching in that game wasn't the greatest, but that's okay because the team we faced was full of 18-19 year olds. On Friday we played Glenn again at home. We had to be careful with how many pitches our starter threw because next week was the first week of playoffs. He ended up throwing 5 innings and then I came in. I finished the game with 2 hits, 1 strikeout, 2 walks, and no runs allowed. This was a good outing and I was glad to be able to get into the game. As always, thank you for reading this week's blog! Next week will be the first round of the conference tournament and this will be a big week for us!
Another good week is in the books and there is a lot to share! As we have started to head towards the conference tournament we have gotten hot; REALLY HOT. We have won 7 of our last 8 games and this is a big deal because this has increased our chances at state playoffs. As it sits now we are locked in for fourth place in the conference tournament. Now that all that is out of the way let's discuss this week. We played 2 games against parkland and 1 against east surry. We beat Parkland at home 17-0. On Wednesday we played an undefeated East Surry team that was extremely talented, but we took care of business and handed them their first loss of the year with a score of 18-4. On Friday we played Parkland and I got to start my first ever game on the mound on varsity... Yes you read that right. I got the start on the mound for the first time in my varsity high school career. This was a huge honor to have this happen as a sophomore and something I will never forget. Now lets get into the actual game. The first inning was a rough start. Parkland scored 3 runs, none of those were earned, but as you can imagine I was already nervous and this did not help. The good news though: the rest of the outing went very very well. I finished the game going 6 2/3 innings, giving up no earned runs, 3 hits, only walking one, and striking out 10. While Parkland is not a great team, this was a huge win for me and a massive confidence booster. Hopefully this will earn me another start this year, but if not, that is okay because I am extremely grateful to even have one start. As I wrap this blog post up I wanted to touch on one more thing. The amount of improvement I have seen from myself from the start of this project to now is remarkable. Even last week I noticed I was having trouble getting into my back leg (meaning I was losing a lot of velocity). As you can tell, by the time we got to this start I was getting into my back leg really well which is a big reason I had a lot of success in this start. A lot of my success can be attributed to this project. I have realized that I can learn so much about my mechanics through this project. Week 9 will be another great week, as it will be our last week of conference games. Thank you for reading this blog and I hope to see you back for week 9!
4/20/2022 0 Comments Week 7The week of West Forsyth! This was such a big week for me and I cannot wait to get into the specifics. Playing West Forsyth is a big deal for us and anyone you ask would say the same thing. As I stated last week, West Forsyth was ranked number four in the state, so this win greatly improved our chances at playoffs. As of this moment we are ranked number four in the conference which would put us against a team we would have a good chance of beating in the first round in the playoffs. The team is playing their best baseball of the year and I cannot wait to see where we go! Game one against West Forsyth was on Tuesday at home. Bayden started the game and through 4 innings. By then we were losing and werent showing any signs of coming back. Coach put me in in the sixth inning with one out. I threw 1.2 innings giving up only one hit, walking 2, striking out 1, and giving up no earned runs. We ended up losing that game 11-3, but overall it was a solid performance for me. Game 2 against West Forsyth was at West Forsyth. We came into that game wanting revenge and that is what we got. The game started and we went down early 6-0. Our starting pitcher got hit in the leg with a line drive and had to come out of the game. Coach called on me to go in in the first inning and I performed well. I threw 5.1 innings giving up 5 hits, 4 runs, 8 walks, and 4 strikeouts. My stats might not sound too great, but I managed the game well and got out of some jams to keep us in the game. We ended up winning the game 24-10! This win was huge for the team and for me giving us a lot of momentum heading into the final games of the season. Next week is spring break and I am going to Florida to see my brother who is a pitcher in college. I am excited to see if he can give me any tips to help me. I hope you enjoyed this post and will continue to follow this page as we head to the end of the season.
Hello and welcome to week 6! This week was not a great week for me. We had 2 games this week against Mount Tabor and I wasn't able to get into the game once. This was a result of the 2 starters throwing the whole game in both games. Those guys pitched really well and I hope that they continue their success. I knew this would happen at one point this year, but once it finally happened it was a bad feeling. It wasn't my fault and there is nothing I could have done better to get in, but it will definitely put a chip on my shoulder for the upcoming weeks. I had an opportunity to get into the game on Friday night, but we run ruled them before I could get in. While this was not a great week there is one positive to all this happening. Watching the older guys pitch allows me to learn a lot. It allows me to analyze what they're doing and what they're throwing to guys in certain counts. These 2 guys are like mentors to me because if I ever have a question, or something that I don't fully understand I can always go to them and ask. I have been starting to pitch better in practice and show that I can compete with the guys on our team, but the ultimate goal is to compete against other teams in big games. Next week we play West Forsyth. This is our biggest rival and whenever we play them it means a little bit more to everyone. We play them at home on Tuesday and at their place on Friday. I am hoping to get some innings in one of these games to show that I can compete with one of the best teams in the state. 3/27/2022 2 Comments Week 5: What a weekWelcome back to week 5 of genius hour! This week was a week of trials, but it was one of the best weeks I have had in a while. It started on Monday when I woke up on Monday morning and hit the gym before school. I have learned that doing this before school in the morning makes my day productive and energetic, but once I get home I am exhausted. I'm looking for a way to counter my exhaustion without using energy drinks because they are so bad for you. The logical thing to do is to go to bed earlier, but with the amount of homework I have every night that's impossible. This is hurting my drive to do my schoolwork, but I'm still getting it done. Hopefully in a few weeks I can find a way around this and be able to sustain working out in the morning. The picture below perfectly describes how I have felt all week. Lets get into the games of last week! Tuesday we played at Reagan. We lost the game 2-0, but our pitching that game was amazing. I didn't get in the game, but it was one of those games where watching and learning is fun to do. Friday we played at home vs. Reagan and it was a crazy game. Over the last couple years we have developed a rivalry with Reagan, so this was a big game for us. Social media posts about both teams were being sent around and students from both schools were in attendance and they were loud! This was the most competitive baseball game I have ever played in. We went up 6-0 in the first inning, but they're a good team and of course they rallied back. In the top of the 5th inning I got to come into the game. The score was 8-5 with us on top. I have been struggling a bit recently, so I needed to show that I belonged. I came in and did really well. I gave up one run, but it technically counted for the pitcher that pitched before me. I walked one, struck out 2, and gave up one hit. I only got to pitch one inning, but it felt so good to have a good outing. We ended up losing this game 17-15, but it was a win for me personally. Next week we have an easier week vs. Mount Tabor. Hopefully I will get some innings. I will also see if I can find away around my exhaustion. Thanks for reading and I will see everyone next week!
3/23/2022 3 Comments Week 4: StrugglesHello everyone and welcome back to week 4. To put it lightly, this week was a roller coaster of emotions for me. I did get to pitch in 3 games, but only 1 of those games was a good outing. This week we played East Forysth on Tuesday and Friday which is ranked second in the conference. On Tuesday we played them at home and I went in to pitch for one batter and struck him out on 3 pitches. This was the confidence boost I thought I needed to get my season going, but I was wrong. Friday night we played East Forsyth again and I went in to pitch and it did not go well. I only gave up one run, but I had 2 walks and did not throw enough strikes. Saturday we turned right back around and played Alexander Central. I got in for one inning, but again I gave up one run while throwing too many balls. Baseball is more mental than it is physical. Believing in yourself and knowing you can perform well is a big deal in baseball, but a big problem of mine has always been throwing strikes. When I can locate my fastball and my curveball I am really good, but my problem is when I cant throw strikes and I walk a lot of guys I get in trouble. This has been my main problem all year, I am just constantly missing the zone. The main reason this is happening is because I get in my head. I start thinking about all the possible outcomes of things and get distracted by that instead of throwing the ball. I've had this conversation with my coach and he has told me that he believes in me and knows I can do this, but the final step of this is believing in myself.
Enough with all the negatives, lets focus on some positives! While I did have a bit of a rough week there was some good. I got a chance to pitch in practice against some guys on the team and I ended up hitting 83 MPH. I have been seeing linear growth in my fastball velocity over the past 4 weeks, going from 81-82 and now to 83 MPH. This is a big deal because it shows me that all the work I'm putting in is translating out onto the field. I have been going to the gym at least 3 times a week in the mornings before school which is hard to do, but it's worth it. To sign this off I want to leave everyone with an important message! 3/14/2022 2 Comments Week 3:Welcome back, everyone! This is week 3 of my genius hour and I am loving it every step of the way! Although this week was tough, that's just a part of the process. This week Davie was scheduled to play 4 games, but we only ended up playing 2 due to rain. This was unfortunate because with us only playing 2 games I didn't get to play, but if we would have played 4 games I would have gotten a chance to pitch. That's okay though because there are a lot of seasons left! With that out of the way, let's talk about what I did to help better my body and increase my velocity this week. This week was extremely busy for me and I knew it was going to be a busy week, so I focused on my diet. My mom makes a lot of grilled chicken which is a great source of protein, so I have been eating a lot of that. I try to include a carb and a vegetable in every dinner and lunch, although sometimes that doesn't always happen! I try to switch up what I have for dinner every night because the same thing over and over again is not good. A few examples would be tenderloin one night, chicken the next night, pork chop one night, and chicken again. I used to hate all of those things, but I have learned to like them with different marinades and different seasonings. Along with a protein source, I'll have broccoli or green beans usually because those are the vegetables I prefer. I'll also have a carb which would usually be some type of bread or tater tots. This week is also the week that I started to lift weights seriously. I have been going to planet fitness every morning before school which is an extremely hard thing to do, but very worth it. I've been focusing a lot on my legs because as a pitcher the more strength in my legs, the harder I throw. I do a lot of squats and a lot of leg presses to increase the strength in my leg. Next week I'll have some videos prepared to better explain what I'm doing. Thanks for reading everyone and I will see you back for week 4!
Hello everyone and welcome back to week number 2! This week was both exciting and a little bit disappointing for me. It was the Davie baseball teams' first week of games and it was a lot of fun, but it was also eye opening in some bad ways. This was also the first week I really started lifting and working out and watching what I ate. Overall this was a great week and I am excited to share it with you all. First I want to discuss our games this week cause it was one heck of a week for baseball! We were scheduled to play Jesse Carson high school on Monday, but do to rain that game got pushed to Tuesday, so as you can imagine the nerves only got worse! Tuesday came and I was pumped up and ready to play. I didn't get into the game until the last inning and was tasked with getting the final out of the game I was extremely nervous, but I cam in and got the job done and secured the win (as pictured below). We had another game the next day vs Watauga, a high school from Boone. They were a really tough opponent. I came in to pitch in the 5th inning and did not do well. I gave up 4 runs and couldn't locate any of my pitches. We ended up losing the game, but it was a huge eye opening experience for me because it showed that I had a lot of things I needed to work on to succeed at the varsity level. The last game of the week was against west Wilkes on Friday night. I didn't get to play in that one and we ended up taking the loss. This Saturday I went to my pitching coach to work on some things and clean up my mechanics. My pitching coach is Jake Robbins. He played in the MLB for the Indians and is the co-owner of the organization I play summer baseball for. I have been going to Jake for about 5 months now and he has taught me so much! He helped me add about 3 MPH of velocity in 3 months which is an impressive thing to do in such a small amount of time. Jake has me do some things that I would never have thought of, but it has worked so well for me. Below is a video of me working with Jake and one of the things he has me do to increase my velocity. Next week is another full week of games for Davie baseball and I can't wait to get back at it. We play R.J. Reynolds on Tuesday, Mooresville on Wednesday, R.J. Reynolds again on Friday, and Alexander Central on Saturday. Should be a week that we can get some wins and improve our record. Next week I want to focus more on my lifting and what I am eating to fuel my body, so come back next week to get an idea of that! Thanks for reading and see you guys next week!
|
AuthorHello! My name is Braeden Rodgers and I am a sophomore in high school. I am excited to go on this journey and share my progress with you all. |
Photo used under Creative Commons from Minda Haas Kuhlmann