Jeff Moeller, sports correspondent
It wasn’t the ending of a season that Richmond Hill head baseball coach Hill Thomas expected, but he is confident that he can build upon the team's efforts for next year.
The Wildcats finished their season with an overall 14-18 record. They lost to Buford, 6-2, and 17-10 in the best-of-three postseason playoff series. Last year, Richmond ended with an overall 17-14 record, and they also were eliminated in the first round.
“It wasn’t everything we expected, because our goal is always to be playing at the end, and we didn’t get that opportunity this year,” said Thomas, who finished his fourth season at the helm. Getting put out in the first round is never where you want to finish.”
The Wildcats experienced their share of winning and losing streaks, beginning the regular season winning five of their first seven games and ending the season losing five of seven.
Yet, Thomas saw plenty of positives along the way that can lay some groundwork for next year.
“I’m proud of the way our guys competed and the growth we saw over the course of the season,” beamed Thomas. We’re going to bring back several key pieces, and we have some players who are ready to step into bigger roles.
“We will have four returners in the field and five pitchers returning that either started or relieved.”
The Wildcats will lose 11 seniors, but they'll bring back a core of players who gained more or their initial experience this season.
Noah Stone (56 innings, 4-6 record, 4.4 ERA) and Landon Walker (48 innings, 4-4 record, 3.3 ERA), who paced the pitching staff, will graduate. But Thomas will look to juniors Kallen Gordon, Padraig Morgan, and Brayden Clark, along with sophomore David Wills, to help anchor the staff in 2027.
Leading hitter Jax Pursley (.363) returns, but Stone (.344) and Joey Succi (.355) will move on. Thomas believes Pursley and sophomores Bryson Helsel and Shane Tucker along with freshman Gage Witham can fill some voids.
Pursley realizes the state of the team, but he also likes the team's chances next season.
“I think there are definitely points we need to work on in the offseason,” said Pursley. “We played our hearts out during the playoffs, but God's plan isn’t always a straight road. But overall I believe it went well. Our foundation is kept and our goal is much more clear.”
Succi enjoyed his final ride, and he will have plenty of memories.
“I think it went really well,” said Succi. “This season I’ve had the most fun I’ve ever had. The memories I created with my friends will last forever.”
Thomas anticipates his club can take another step next season.
“There’s a strong core of underclassmen in our program that we’re really excited about,” said Thomas. “This experience will fuel us, and we expect to come back better because of it.”