About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2020)
SPORTS Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com Unties gainesvilletimes.com Saturday, February 22, 2020 MLB JOHN BAZEMORE I The Associated Press Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Darren O’Day (56) talks to catcher William Contreras during spring training baseball camp Feb. 13 in North Port, Fla. Bullpen is in place for big success Atlanta Journal Constitution If the Braves capture their third con secutive National League East title, if they finally reach that elusive NLCS (or fur ther), it means a well-compensated bullpen lived up to its billing. This spring differs from recent years for reasons beyond Orlando versus North Port. The Braves came to camp with a bullpen mostly set, rather than rolling the dice and crossing their fingers that the unknown proves enough. “It’s going to be (deep), we knew that coming in,” manager Brian Snitker said. “A lot of our offseason acquisitions were designed on strengthening the bullpen, and we did that. If we keep everybody healthy, we should be in good shape.” Will Smith, Shane Greene, Mark Mel- ancon and Darren O’Day are former All- Stars. Chris Martin is a command savant who avoids those pesky walks that’ve plagued the Braves in the past. Those five immediately provide resumes and cred ibility the Braves haven’t had during the first two seasons of their rebirth. Strikeout-laden Luke Jackson can settle into his better-suited middle- relief role. Long-relief man Josh Tomlin was re signed when pitchers and catchers reported to Flor ida last week. Both were unheralded heroes of last season, when the Braves won 97 games. “It makes it a heck of a lot easier,” Mar tin said of the depth. “It takes pressure off guys. You can just go out there and focus on your inning wherever that’s going to be. Hopefully we feed off each other down there. That’s how a good bullpen works.” If each of the aforementioned players make the roster, as expected, that’s seven relievers locked in. That leaves one spot up for grabs, perhaps for the promising Jacob Webb or, if the team prefers another lefty, Grant Dayton, A.J. Minter or Philip Pfeifer. The Braves haven’t been a bullpen- enriched franchise since the Kimbrel-Ven- ters-O’Flaherty days. Even in those days, the group wasn’t so set in stone. Bullpens usually draw complaints from the fans. The Braves hope theirs will warrant more praise. “On paper, we can compete with any body,” Greene said. “But we still have to go out there and get guys out.” Speaking of what’s on paper, the Braves’ active winter resulted in spending over ■ Please see BRAVES 2B Jackson Hernandez set to start spring training opener Felix Hernandez’s comeback bid will be the first story of the Braves’ exhibition season. Hernandez will start the team’s Grapefruit League opener Saturday, when the Braves host the Orioles. It will be Her nandez’s first shot at proving he has more left in the tank as he vies for a spot in the Braves’ rotation. “He’s commanding the ball everywhere,” catcher Tyler Flowers said. “Up, down and out, multiple pitches.... That’d be real big (if he could recapture some level of his past success). You look at the last couple years, how we’ve been able to get some guys in similar situations, specifically like an Anibal (Sanchez). He was a tremendous asset for us. “I think this is that same kind of situa tion. I know Felix feels healthy. He feels strong. I caught one of his bullpens and he seemed healthy and strong. Very good command, a little better off-speed than I even thought he had”. Hernandez, who turns 34 in April, is a former Cy Young winner possessing a pedi gree few can match. But he’s dwindled in the past few seasons, limited to 16 starts in 2017 and posting a 5.82 ERA over his past 44 outings (two seasons). Atlanta Journal Constitution Hernandez HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING Championship mentality Photos by NATALAE LA DOUCEUR I For The Times North Hall’s Jacob Pedraza wrestles during the traditional state championship meet Feb. 14 in Macon. North Hall’s Jacob Pedraza wrestles during the state duals on Jan. 16 in Macon. N. Halls Pedraza reflects on road to back-to-back titles BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Even in the biggest moments, the nerves never really get to North Hall wrestler Jacob Pedraza. As he eyed Jefferson’s Tyson Thur mond ahead of the 120-pound champion ship bout of the Class 3A traditional meet last Saturday in Macon, Pedraza found a personal moment of zen that he is used to seeking out before important matches. “Really, when it’s down to those moments, I really just want to stay calm, to myself as much as possible,” he said. “I know I’ve practiced a lot, so I just try to stay calm, and hopefully the rest will work out.” Usually when he hits the mat, it does. And against Thurmond, Pedraza’s calm ness was nearly as valuable as the years of hard work and training leading up to the state title match. After being taken down early in the bout, Pedraza recovered for a first-period pin on Thurmond that put a neat bow on a season of dominance from the North Hall wrestler. It was his second consecu tive individual state championship, as he took home first last year wrestling at 113 pounds. He finished second at the state meet as a freshman. “It felt good,” he said of his most recent win. “A lot of relief knowing that a lot of hard work has gone to a good place.” Hard work has been Pedraza’s calling card since he began his wrestling career 12 years ago as a 5-year-old with the Junior Trojans. Since the beginning, his passion for the sport has only grown. “It’s been a long journey,” he said. Pedraza wrestled at the junior level for eight years, and by the time he reached high school, he was ready to take the next step up. Following in the footsteps of his older brother John, Jacob Pedraza had expectations for success when he first arrived at North Hall. Even still, his skill and knowledge of the sport made an immediate impression on Trojans coach David Nichols. “He’s just a student of the sport,” Nich ols said. “He’s always really loved the technical side of things. That’s where he’s had a strong advantage. ” Coaching Pedraza’s to state titles is nothing new for Nichols — who had already seen both Jacob and John reach the pinnacle of high school wrestling prior to Jacob’s most recent victory — but that did not take anything away from the moment for the North Hall coach. “Even if you’ve won one before, every one of them is special,” Nichols said. “You know how much hard work goes into win ning a state title. You can’t help being super excited for anybody who reached that goal. For me, it’s just feeling blessed to be part of the journey with him. ” For Pedraza, wrestling has meant so much more than winning titles and earn ing accolades. Through all his individual success, it’s the moments of cameraderie amongst teammates that have stood out the most to him. “It’s a way for me to connect with my closest friends at North Hall,” he said. “Everybody on my team, those are my brothers. We get to go out and compete against the best teams in the state. That’s what it’s about for me, being able to bond with people and accomplish something greater than myself.” That said, winning is nice too. Part of Pedraza’s pre-match calm stems from having been there before. He’s wres tled for individual state championships three times now and knows what to expect by now. But as he stood victorious on the mat in the Macon Centreplex, the thrill of victory was as strong as its ever been in the last 12 years of competition. “Honestly,” he said. “The second one felt better.” HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD Lanier Christian girls to play for basketball title and seven rebounds. Baseball The Lanier Christian Acad emy girls basketball team is headed to a state champion ship game for the third year running. Faith Wasden led the Lady Lightning with a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double, as Lanier Christian moved past Central Fellowship Christian 39-32 to once again earn a spot in the GAPPS title game. The Lady Lightning will advance to take on Westminster Chris tian Academy for the champi onship at 5 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Day School in Macon. Adding to Wasden’s effort, Lexie Robertson scored 12 points and grabbed four boards, while Reese Mont gomery contributed 6 points BUFORD 4, LOWNDES COUNTY 2: Dylan Lesko threw five innings of one-hit ball and recorded eight strike outs for the Wolves on Friday in Buford. Braden Hartman and Eli Ledford both were 1 for 3 with a double for Buford (4-0). Up next, Buford faces Northside-Columbus on Tues day in Columbus. FLOWERY BRANCH BOYS 1, BROOKWOOD 0: Max Garnett scored the Fal cons (1-1) with 23 minutes remaining in the game. Goal keeper Sal Sengson notched 11 saves and picked up the clean sheet. Up next, Flowery Branch will travel to take on Apalachee on Monday. BUFORD GIRLS 6, LUMP KIN COUNTY 0: The Lady Wolves (4-0-1) got goals from Sydney Borgelt, Ava Sherman, Elissy Ponton, Chloe Kerr, Angie Burgos and Teresa Metz. Maggie Leland and Jil- lian Starkey preserved the shutout in goal. Buford will go on the road to play St. Pius on Tuesday at 6 p.m. JOHNSON BOYS 4, CHER OKEE BLUFF 0: Kevin Cas tillo, Jorge Santos, Ethan Mann and Innis Viera all scored goals for the Knights. Johnson will travel to play Chestatee on Tuesday. Compiled by Nathan Berg ATLANTA HAWKS Young continues to improve on free throws In the final seconds, with the Hawks leading the Heat by four, Trae Young wasn’t necessarily nervous as he went to the line, shooting two. It was only after he sank the first free throw, awarding him a career-high 50 points as the Hawks stunned the likely playoff-bound Miami on Thurs day night, that Young tensed a bit. He ended up missing the sec ond shot, putting him at 18-for-19 from the line in the Hawks’ 129-124 win, just shy of perfect, but still tying his career- high of 18 free throws made. His production shooting free throws essentially has doubled from his rookie season -- some of it is strategy and skill, some of it, ■ Please see HAWKS, 2B Soccer Young
