Blake Brockington loves to be put in pressure situations on the baseball diamond, loves “being called on to take the mound with the bases loaded and one out,” the Martha Puckett Middle School eighth-grader said. But the final outcome, the end of the game celebration, is his favorite part of the game, with gloves and hats flying and teammates gathering at the pitcher’s mound.
A country boy at heart, the soft-spoken Brockington likes to hang with his brothers, fish, and hunt when away from school. Along with meeting former Atlanta Braves great Chipper Jones, he counts among his coolest achievements “going mud bogging and getting stuck.”
He is a dual-threat athlete, spending his winters playing point guard for coach Ryan Bailey’s basketball team and in the spring becoming an infielder for coach James Hobbs’ Jackets baseball team at Martha Puckett Middle School in Jesup.
“Blake is a very versatile baseball player,” Hobbs said. “He can, and has, played every position in the infield for me in the past. This year he is playing short and second base.”
Brockington admitted that baseball is his favorite sport. He developed a love for baseball at an early age. He was just four-years-old when he was batted in for the first time to score a run.
“This was a time that he knew he loved to play baseball,” his mom, Sheila Brockington said.
His first big play came when he turned a double-play to win the game. By the time he was eight-years-old, he was on a championship All-Star team.
“When I was 10 we played in Atlanta, and there were over 90 teams in the tournament,” Brockington said.
His traveling team at the time, the Merchants, went on to finish second in that tournament. He went on to play with the Sandgnats in the summer of 2015, when they won the championship of the Elite Stars Tournament. One of the highlights of his young baseball career was the opportunity to spend a week at the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York at the Cooperstown Dreams Park. There, the Sandgnats played against teams from across the country. Brockington stood out as he led his team in hitting by batting over .700 while crushing four homeruns.
Last year as just a seventh-grader, he played for Martha Puckett Middle School and led the team in batting average as well as being voted the team’s outstanding offensive player.
“Last year as a seventh grader he had the highest batting and on the team, batting .476, and the second highest fielding percentage,” Hobbs said.
This season he is being called on to do even more.
“Blake bats in the two hole,” Hobbs said. “Blake is very good at moving runners, whether I’m needing him to lay a bunt down or driving in a run.”
Brockinton looks forward to a solid 2017 season and more in the future. When asked if he looks forward to playing at Wayne County High School next year, he said, “Heck yeah.”
He likes to keep himself in shape and improve his game by practicing long throws and hitting with his father. Brockington gives a lot of credit to his father for helping him learn the game and become a better player. He also watches other players to get pointers on hitting and throwing.
“He also runs thoughout the year so that his body stays conditioned to play,” his mom said.
And to stay in shape during the winter he plays basketball.
The son of Donald and Sheila Brockington of Jesup, Blake Brockington holds a solid A-minus average in the classroom where he prefers physical education and math classes. In the future, Brockinton would like to be in the sports field helping athletes with physical therapy.
“I would like to go to college to play baseball,” Brockinton said.
Of course, his ultimate dream would be to play Major League Baseball for the Los Angles Angels. Hobbs believes Brockinton has a bright future at the high school level as he continues to grow and mature both physically and as a baseball player.
“Blake knows the game, is coachable, and always looking for ways to make himself and the team better,” Hobbs said.
SE-RS-0317-Brockington
Blake Brockington
Martha Puckett Middle School
Written by: Rob Asbell
No Pressure
