rss
mobile
Feeds
That's not to say the Beaufort High sophomore hasn't proven himself dependable for other things on the diamond. As a freshman starter last year, Pike batted .388 with 14 runs and 19 RBI. Now, with the Eagles losing several seniors from last season, Pike has suddenly transformed from ripe freshman to veteran leader for the defending Region 8-AAA champs.
The Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet caught up with the versatile infielder to discuss his ability to play multiple positions, what it takes to be successful at the varsity leader and what (if anything) makes him frown.
Question: Coming into last season, there were pretty high expectations for you as a freshman starter. How did you go about handling that?
Answer: I felt a lot of pressure, but I knew I had the ability to perform well so I had to trust all the training and hours that I've put in.
Q: What was the biggest change from your Dixie Youth days to playing varsity in high school?
A: The hardest adjustment was probably getting used to how fast the pitchers threw and getting used to the pace of the ground balls playing a new position at third base and outfield. I had to adapt to a lot of new positions.
Q: This year, many eyes will be on you again since you're one of the few returning starters. What types of things will you do to step into that leader role only as a sophomore?
A: I'm just going to try to set a good example for the new kids coming up behind me. We have a lot of good sophomores and juniors coming up on the team. We lost a lot of seniors, but I think we're still going to be pretty strong this year because we have a lot of young talent.
Q: I was talking to coach (Brook) Dixon about where you'd mostly play this year and he pretty much named every position. Do you have a favorite position and how do you adjust to playing in so many spots?
A: I don't really have a favorite position. But now Beau Brown got hurt, so I'll be playing catcher for a few weeks. I haven't caught very much but I just have to get used to it and get ready.
Q: Have you always played in multiple positions on the field?
A: When I was little, I played shortstop a lot. I played a lot of different positions in Dixie Youth, so that kind of got me ready to be able to play any position.
Q: You might remember last year when I tried my hand at batting practice with coach Dixon. It didn't go so well with me going down swinging. So, what would be your advice for someone like me trying to adjust to the speed of the game?
A: The biggest thing is to just be relaxed and play your game and keep your eye on the ball the whole time.
Q: How long have you been playing baseball?
A: I've been playing ever since I was 3 or 4. Really it seems like ever since I was born, my dad has had bats and gloves in my hand.
Q: What are your future plans in baseball?
A: Right now my biggest goal is to just get a scholarship at a Division I school and if I can go further than that, that'd be great. My favorite college is (the University of South) Carolina, so if they gave me a scholarship, that would be a dream come true.
Q: I know your teammates give you a hard time for smiling a lot. What does it take to make you mad?
A: I don't get mad very often. I'll get mad sometimes if I'm hitting pretty bad, but I don't get mad very often. But I'm pretty much always smiling.
Q: Do you have any other special talents outside of baseball?
A: I play the piano. I got one for Christmas when I was six and started taking lessons. I don't really take lessons anymore, but I'll get songs off the Internet and play for fun sometimes.
Q: Entering Thursday's championship game of the Lowcountry Invitational, you guys are 3-0, so record-wise you are doing well. How do you think the season is going so far overall?
A: We're looking pretty good. Our pitching is looking pretty strong recently. We got double-digit hits in our first two games, I think. We only got three hits in our last game, but they came in good time. Our fielding's been really strong and we haven't been making very many errors. So as a team, we've been looking good so far.
Q: What do you think about the changes to the Beaufort High baseball field?
A: I love the changes. I like the new fence. It's about 10 feet further in, so it'll be easier to get more gappers, more home runs. I just like how it looks with the black fence and how it surrounds the field.
I like the new warm-up area here to get ready instead of having to go all the way in the outfield to warm up.
Q: With that fence, you'll have to get it a little bit higher for a home run now.
A: That's fine. Not quite the Green Monster, but I like it.
