Statesboro baseball coach Chris Bishop talks about his team’s fast start so far to the season and much more.
Q: Coach, you guys are off to a pretty good start. Talk about the region from top to bottom, and who do you think is going to be the biggest obstacle from keeping your Blue Devils winning the region?
A: Yes, we have gotten off to a pretty good start. I think it is very hard to place a tag on one team that is simply favored to win our region. Having said that, Richmond Hill has a lot of talent and has shown that early in the non-region and region games played to this point. South Effingham returns with a senior-laden team that will play well consistently in all facets of the game. That leaves Glynn Academy, Brunswick, Effingham, Statesboro and Bradwell. Collectively our league from top to bottom is as tough as it gets in 6A. Very much like the college schedule.
Q: You were the coach here previously, but left, and was away from the program for about 10 years. Last season marked your return, and you guys did well, advancing to the second round of the state playoffs. What was that first season back like last year?
A: That is correct, I was head coach at Statesboro from 2000-2011. Coach Jim “Slim” Simmons was my assistant from 2006-2011, after being the head coach at Effingham County. Jim lost a lengthy battle with cancer last March. The summer prior to the school year, Jim knew he was retiring due to health reasons, so he and I had a conversation about who would be the next coach. Jim made the statement, “I hope whoever takes over will know where to turn the lights on.” So here I am!
Q: This team was pretty deep with pitching last year. With Thomas Ponder back, is that the case again this year?
A: Without a doubt that is the case and at any level you play at good pitching will keep you competitive in most games. We have a solid group to give us competitive innings every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, between senior Thomas Ponder, junior Dylan Gronfeld, junior Landon Yates and sophomore Mathis Lanier. Former Peach Belt standout Matthew Meeks is our pitching coach and he does an outstanding job of preparing our pitching staff.
Q: The other end of the battery saw you lose one of the state’s best catchers in JD Kaiser. Who has stepped up to fill his shoes behind the plate, and what other guys you’d like to point out?
A: Yes, JD was for sure difficult to replace and for the type of young man he is, you simply don’t replace that type of player. On the other hand, Mason Johns has stepped up and done a wonderful job to this point. Landon Yates has also caught a couple games and is a very good player that can really run.
