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Lumen Christi Baseball

By Mike Moore                                                                (Photo by Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports)

Staff Writer

 

Jackson — If regular season records were an indicator of who could, and could not go onto greatness come the MHSAA baseball state playoffs, just where would the 2015 team have found itself that memorable June?

 

The same group of Titans who hoisted the championship trophy on the season’s final day, was also a group that finished the regular season 16-16.

 

“We play an elevated schedule,” coach Phil Clifford said simply Thursday morning. “We’ll never be a team that has 25 wins (during the regular season).”

 

And the Titans’ skipper is just fine with that.

 

As Clifford spoke, his 2017 squad was 9-7 overall and 6-4 in I-8 play.

 

Hardly attention grabbing.

 

But, fresh off a doubleheader sweep of Coldwater Wednesday afternoon, Clifford remained steadfast in his belief that this is a team headed in the right direction.

 

“We started the season a little slow, getting guys back into the swing of things,” Clifford said. “It took some time, especially to get the bats going.

 

The Titans actually began the year 7-3, with those three setbacks coming by a combined five runs.

 

The sweep of Coldwater ended a four-game losing skid.

 

“We’ve been in just about every game we’ve played,” Clifford said. “We could very easily have more wins than we do.”

 

But instead of the win-loss marks, Clifford has stayed more focused on the way his team operates from one day to the next.

 

With No. 1 pitcher Cameron White anchoring the rotation, and All-State catcher Connor Mogle behind the plate, the Titans will have a shot in any do-or-die situation.

 

Clifford said Noah Powers and Grant Smith have also done a solid job in the rotation.

 

While the offense did take some time to get going, it’s found its swing of late.

 

Mogle, Kyle Minder and Alex Laskey are leading the way, and each hitting near .400.

 

In the sweep of Coldwater, the complete effort on both sides of the ball was apparent, as the pitching staff allowed just four total runs while the bats did plenty in 5-1 and 8-3 victories.

 

Lumen, which has won two regionals in a row, understands the path to a third quarterfinal in as many years may take a slightly different route.

 

Through the first 10 games, the team had one home run, so there’s no real power threat, but plenty of guys that put the ball in play and can advance runners.

 

“It comes down to pitching and defense and continuing to hit and move runners the way we have,” Clifford said simply. “If we do all that, we’re going to be in the mix.”

 

There are still four players on the current team who celebrated that state title, including Mogle, who caught that final game that spring.

 

And while constructed differently, Clifford said this team has an all-to-familiar feel to it.

 

“The opportunity to get back to that point is here,” he said of contending for a title. “The difference is playing a team game to get there this time. In 2015, we had some dominate guys that really helped carry us. This team has the potential only if the team approach is there and they all do this together. We won’t rely on one guy, but we rely on everyone, and that’s what makes us dangerous.”

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Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports.

 

He’s also a Real Estate agent with Real Estate One, specializing with buyers and sellers throughout Michigan, from the Jackson area to metro Detroit. You can reach him at mmoore@realestateone.com or by calling (313) 770-6365 with any inquiries.

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