Baseball is America’s game. The nation withstanding, baseball certainly is Martha Puckett Middle School eighth-grader Ford Townsend’s game. “Other kids like to play baseball, and other kids have fun playing baseball, but Ford loves to play baseball. Whether it’s in a big game, the practice field, or just hanging out with his family and friends, Ford Townsend is the most passionate and talented middle school baseball player I have ever coached,” Martha Puckett Middle School baseball coach Brian Pruitt says.
The 6’, 195-pound Townsend claims Babe Ruth is his favorite player. “I like him, how he approached the game, the way he hit the baseball. He was a pitcher in his early career but was eventually moved to the outfield,” Townsend says.
Ford’s admiration of Ruth actually reaches back to a contemporary of Ruth and his own great-grandfather, Woodrow “Babe” Davis, a pitcher from Nichols, Georgia. He was on the opening day roster of the 1938 Detroit Tigers roster. “My great grandpa was a major league pitcher, he even pitched against Lou Gehrig in the old Yankee Stadium,” Townsend says.
Townsend has always played baseball for as long as he could remember but about the time was eight years old, the game took on a different meaning. “I started to watch the older players and my brother. I started trying to do the same things they did to make myself better. I also started to really watch baseball to look at situations at the plate, knowing that batting isn’t simply about going up to the plate and swinging the bat, it’s about understanding situations, looking at what the infield is doing. Should I go opposite field, where is the hole that the infield is giving me. More than anything learning to really think about the game of baseball and understand it deeper has made me play the game more aggressively,” Townsend says.
Townsend is a pitcher who throws a two-seam fastball that has been clocked at 80 mph but consistently in the mid 70s. Coupled with a 12 to 6 curve ball and a circle change-up, his six-foot frame hurtling off the mound can create fear in hitters. Last season, he finished 3-1, striking out 20 batters for Martha Puckett.
“On the field Ford is a born leader. His knowledge of the game allows him to take on a commanding role during games and practices. Having someone like Ford on your team makes coaching a whole lot easier, it’s like having an assistant coach that can also hit .400 in the middle of your line up. His mechanics and fundamentals at third base and on the mound are among the best I’ve ever seen. On the mound he brings such size and power that is pronounced by his flawless mechanics. Since I met Ford in 2012 he has impressed me with his work ethic and ability to be coachable,” Pruitt says.
As a hitter, Townsend is a tough out for any pitcher. Last season he hit .439 with 20 RBIs and scored 22 runs.
“I am always thinking about the situation we are in at the plate but I am also going to hit my pitch that I want, not the pitch that the pitcher wants me to hit. I am waiting on a fastball but I can and will adjust to anything they throw me. I want to play team baseball so if I need to move a runner over, that’s exactly what I am going to try to do to help us win,” Townsend says.
Pruitt also has Ford as a student and said that his academic work ethic and hard work as a student is the same that exists on the diamond or gridiron. Townsend also played football last season for the first time for Pruitt, enjoying his time on the defensive line. “I played football my first time this season. I played both sides of the line but I like defense more than offense,” Townsend says.
Townsend’s favorite class is weightlifting, which has been extremely beneficial. “I have been lifting weights, running, and doing push-ups to get in better shape. I just want to thank my grandpa, uncle, and daddy for all of the hours they have spent making me a better baseball player,” Townsend says.
Like all great baseball players, Ford has his rituals that he follows. “I say a prayer before games, straighten my uniform and make sure my jersey is tucked in and looks good, and then go play the game I love,” Townsend says.
SE-RS-3.14-FordTownsend
The throwback player
By John Wood
Photography by: Jeffrey Griffith
