Red-hot St. Stanislaus baseball hitting its stride in Mississippi high school playoffs
St. Stanislaus has come a long way since February.
As the South Mississippi weather has warmed up, so has the reloaded Rock-A-Chaw lineup. Head coach Brad Corley’s team started the season with a 1-6 record, and has since won 16 of 19 games, including two games in a first round playoff sweep of Port Gibson.
The Rock-A-Chaws have relied on a retooled core this year after losing their top four hitters from the 2021 season. Once the new-look lineup found its groove, no scoreboard was safe.
St. Stanislaus has averaged more than 11 runs per game since March 5 and scored 42 runs in the Port Gibson series.
“We’ve had some guys that have stepped up and had some really good years,” Corley told the Sun Herald. “Just a credit to them and the hard work they put in this offseason and hopefully we can keep it going.”
Among the new names in the starting nine is an import from Mobile’s UMS-Wright: junior switch-hitting slugger Seth Farni. The Ole Miss commit has launched eight home runs in 26 games, a number only matched in South Mississippi by Gautier’s Kaden Irving.
Farni’s presence at the plate has been a boon for the entire team.
“Knowing his bat is in the lineup kind of makes everybody else better,” Corley said. “There’s been many of times where he’s been walked and we picked him up after so that’s been huge for him and for us. Having him, he’s just a special hitter.”
Farni’s addition to the lineup, along with several other new starters, created a dynamic that needed time to take off.
Eight of the nine hitters on the primary card are juniors and seniors, but the majority of them weren’t regulars in 2021. Once the rust of inexperience fell off, the hits came in bunches.
“It’s electric,” Farni said. “Hitting is contagious so being with a team that, one through nine, can put it over the fence helps me a lot. It makes baseball fun... As we started playing, we got more savvy. That’s why we had a slow start to the season. It was the first time for a lot of guys.”
Junior Hugh LeMasters is leading the team in hitting with a batting average over .400. Senior Brandon Rhodes has eclipsed the 30-hit mark and senior Ethan Jacobi has scored more than 40 times.
None was a full-time starter a year ago, but all of them are making an impact now.
“Ethan Jacobi, the leadoff guy, has had a great year for us,” Corley said. “Brandon (Rhodes) and Hugh LeMasters, those guys have had great years for us. Brandon and Tanner (Reinike) are our two captains this year. Great leaders, I can’t speak enough for how much those guys mean to our team.”
St. Stanislaus will face the winner of Magee and Morton in the second round beginning Friday.
