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By Sam Davis
Triad Sports Weekly
Reagan High School is having its best baseball season since the school opened four years ago. Coach Jamie Mabe said there’s a formula to the team’s success. The Raiders are 16-5 overall and finished its Piedmont Triad 3-A schedule with a 7-3 mark.
Putting the pieces together for a successful program hasn’t been easy. The Raiders have shown steady improvement each season and this year appear to be in position to make some noise in the State 3-A playoffs.
We are finishing our season on a strong note,” Mabe said. “We are getting good pitching and timely hitting, particularly from Brandon Culbreth (who has 35 RBIs to lead all batters in Forsyth County).
The first step in getting the program off the ground was getting the players to realize that they had to be accountable to their teammates for their play on the field, according to Mabe.
“Our guys have bought into the team concept of each individual doing their best makes the team strong,” he said.
Mabe went on to outline some reasons for his team’s success and that have paid dividends for the program.
“Number one - our players have some talent and they have worked hard to improve their game,” Mabe said. “Number two - our JV program is strong. Over the last three years, our JV team has won 53 games. Coach Applegate and Coach Haskins have done a great job of teaching our players how to be successful at the high school level.
“Number three - we have great parental support. Our parents have done everything from picking up rocks to taking out the trash AND everything in between. Their support of our program is unmatched.”
It also helps to have a good support team in place.
“No. 4 is our coaching staff,” Mabe said. “JV coaches Chris Applegate and Randy Haskins are oustanding. On varsity we have Jeremy Livengood and Bob Berlinger. All have done a great job of working with our players - whether it be extra batting practice or extra ground balls.”
Finally, Mabe said having good players is a premium.
“Nobody wins without good players,” Mabe said.
Offensively, Brandon Culbreth leads the way with a .412 batting average. He has 35 RBIs, seven doubles and six homers. Andrew Parker is next with a .368 average, seven doubles, 12 stolen bases and 28 runs. Austin Blake is hitting .358 with two doubles, 18 RBI’s, seven homers and 27 runs. Drew Ausley follows with a .304 batting average, 30 runs scored, 17 walkes, an on-base percentage of .474. Tom Dobbins has a .318 batting average, with 22 RBI’s while handling the catching chores.
Related Story:
West Forsyth & Reagan JV Baseball battle on the diamond in a rainy day doubleheader.
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