SPORTS

AWT BASEBALL: Peabody's Pickard was dual threat for teams

Michael Odom
michodom@jacksonsun.com
Trenton Peabody’s Matthew Pickard helped lead the Golden Tide to a top four finish in Class A.

So many hopes and dreams go into a senior year. Players want to dominate against the teams in the district, players want that first trip to the state tournament and players want to sign to play college ball.

For Trenton Peabody senior Matthew Pickard those were all desires going into his final year with the Golden Tide, and he accomplished all three to be named The Jackson Sun's 2015 Baseball Player of the Year.

Pickard was a dual threat for teams to try and stop when he was on the mound. He was 12-2 this season with nine complete games and four shutouts. He finished with a 0.72 ERA and 117 strikeouts.

"When I took the mound, I was just trying to get the out each time," Pickard said. "I wanted to get ahead of the hitter and let them put it in play so my defense could make the play, or put them away with a strikeout if I could."

Pickard was also dangerous at the plate, as he batted .435 with 12 doubles and five home runs to go along with 32 RBI and 40 runs.

Trenton Peabody’s Matthew Pickard batted .435 and had a 0.72 ERA on the mound this season.

"I think our hitting improved by playing travel ball," Pickard said. "You see good pitching, and breaking balls don't freak you out."

Peabody had never made the state tournament in the TSSAA era, but the Golden Tide beat Jackson Christian on the road in sectionals for the first-ever trip.

"We had a young team, and we had to have a lot of people step up for us to be successful," Pickard said. "Our goal was to reach the state tournament, but we knew it wasn't going to be easy. It was exciting to help Coach [Todd] Lumley experience the state tournament."

Getting to the state tournament wasn't enough. Pickard and Kendrick Malone picked up wins on the mound against Summertown and Goodpasture to reach the top four in the state.

"We know that when we have our good pitchers on the mound, we can compete with everyone," Pickard said. "We knew that we were good as any team up there, but we didn't compete on the last day."

Pickard will begin his college baseball career at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Michael Odom, 425-9754