Charles Herbert Flowers Baseball Building Off 2-0 Start
Charles Herbert Flowers baseball looks like it could be one of the teams to watch in Prince George's County.
The Jaguars have jumped out to a 2-0 record to start the 2016 season, topping Eleanor Roosevelt 8-5 on opening day, before winning their home opener in a wild 15-14 game against Oxon Hill.
"The team has worked very hard over the winter and off season to prepare for the 2016 season," first year head coach George Brown said. "Wins are always great, but the focus of the team is to play solid fundamental baseball, and to always focus do their very best, give their all for each other, and never give up."
So far, it looks like Flowers is playing some excellent baseball, and getting contributions from a variety of players.
Catcher Cortney Marshall Jr. has matched a sound defensive effort with production at the plate, already registering two doubles and four RBI's. Damani Hamm, one of the team's senior captains, is hitting .667 while freshman Tremayne Cobb Jr. is making an immediate impact at the varsity level with his play at shortstop, where his strong arm coupled with his foot speed gives him big range. He also leads the team in stolen bases.
On the mound, the team has gotten quality innings from Thomas Espinosa and Langston Cross. Behind the pitchers is a constantly improving defense that Brown thinks could end up being one of the Jaguars' strengths this season.
"Quality hitting that can put pressure on teams, and a defense to keep games in reach," Brown said when asked what his team's strengths were.
Looking ahead, the Jaguars will be one of the busiest teams in the state of Maryland this spring. Next week the team travels to Myrtle Beach, SC where they'll take part in the Mingo Bay Classic. During that tournament, Flowers will face stiff competition from North Carolina, West Virginia and Ohio, which should help the Jaguars improve even more.
Once the Jaguars get back to Maryland, they will face a gauntlet of tough Prince George's County competition. Brown highlighted Bowie, Wise, Gwynn Park, and the rematch with Eleanor Roosevelt as the games on the schedule that particularly stand out to him.
The hope is that all these games will help the Flowers baseball program continue to grow. Brown acknowledges that the program is a work in progress, but that hasn't stopped the team from having big goals.
This year the team's hope is to go deeper in the MPSSAA tournament than they have the previous two seasons, when they were knocked out in the second round both years.
"We have a very young team that experienced some playoff success and we want to build on that success," Brown said.
March 24th, 2016 By: Wick Eisenberg