Trenton Peabody will try for 3rd straight sectional run

TRENTON — Written on the bill of the baseball cap of Trenton Peabody senior Will Pickard are two scores.

One is 4-2, which the the score of the Region 7-A championship game last season when the Golden Tide lost to Gibson County.

Second is 10-0, which is the score of the Class A sectional game last year that Peabody lost to Jackson Christian. The score was 1-0 in the sixth inning.

Those are constant reminders to Pickard and his Golden Tide teammates of what could have been last season.

"I think about that loss in sectionals every day," Pickard said.

Peabody did make the Class A state tournament in 2015, and the goal for this year's team is to get back to sectionals, win and get the opportunity to play in Murfreesboro during Spring Fling once again.

"We have a lot of things that we can play for," Peabody coach Todd Lumley said. "We are three-time district champs, and no one has done it four times. That is one thing we have challenged our team about. We have been to sectionals twice."

Peabody got to open the District 14-A schedule during the second week of the season with that Gibson County team that beat them in the region championship game.

Peabody won Game 1 5-2, and the second game will be played Tuesday at Gibson County at 5 p.m.

"Baseball is a funny game," Lumley said. "The first inning was exciting, and then I don't know. I didn't see the intensity late in the game that we had early."

Although, the Golden Tide got revenge against Gibson County. This team wasn't satisfied.

"It was good to get the win," Pickard said. "We don't feel like we played our best, but we have a second chance on Tuesday."

Lumley feels that playing this series early could be a good thing for his club.

"You got to play them at some point," he said. "Whether you play early or late, it is tough way to start the season for both teams. To  be honest I like playing them early because it gives us something early in the year to look forward to, but it is always a pretty good game."

This is a veteran Peabody team with seven starters back from last season, and the team will try to do something this year that it hasn't the past two and that is to host a sectional.

"For some reason we always play Huntingdon in the region semifinals, and you have to be ready to play that team," Lumley said. "You go back, and I don't think there is a year that it did not end up a one-run game. You come out of that game and turn right around and play Wednesday in the final. You have to have a mindset of taking it one game at a time. You win Monday, and then you got to turn around Wednesday.

"Two years ago, I had a team that could overcome the Wednesday loss. I felt good that year going over to Jackson Christian. Last year after the Wednesday loss, we never really did get the momentum back. I preach to the guys that you have to come out and perform every day. If you can get them to buy in, you are in good shape."

So this group of seniors led by players like Williams Woods and Pickard will put in the work to lead this team.

"We have to play together," Pickard said. "We have a really good team this year that respects each other, and that is something that we didn't have last year.

"We have played together for so long, and we know each other."

Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.