South County's Baseball Success Was Years in the Making

They may have been small. They may have been still learning the game. They may have been awkward.

But the seeds for South County’s attention-grabbing, perfect-so-far baseball season (20-0 and winners of the Patriot District regular season) were planted back in 2000, when this year’s group of seniors were just seven and eight- year-old Little Leaguers.

One Springfield team had South County’s third baseman Luke Bondurant and star pitcher Evan Beal. While the West Springfield team had the Stallions’ starting shortstop and No. 2 pitcher, Tyler Frazier, throwing to this year’s clutch-hitting, pitch-blocking catcher Mike Perez.

“Some of those teams were so good,” said Beal’s father Frank, “that it was harder to get out of the district than win the state tournament.”

The talent level wasn't limited to boys. One of the squads--the Braves Single-A team--also had , the current South County softball star who earned a scholarship to Temple University.

District Lines

But it’s not just competitive Little League games that prepared this year’s Stallions for what they hope will be a state championship season. There was a time where it was not certain that all of the players would go to the same school. When the boundaries were being drawn between the then-new South County Secondary School and Hayfield, Lake Braddock and West Springfield there was a possibility that they might be split up. But when South County opened in 2005, some of the best players from West Springfield Little League’s American League, West Springfield’s National League and Central Springfield Little League made their way to the school on Silverbrook Road--thanks to some prodding from parents.

“We definitely fought pretty hard to go to South County,” Frazier’s father Dave said. “In fact, they were thinking they would put some of our neighborhood over in Lake Braddock, and we didn’t want to go there. The dividing line worked out through a lot of effort from the parents that we went to South County.”

Dave Frazier was a coach of that Braves team over 10 years ago, and remembered what it was like when a number of baseball parents realized  that if their kids lived up to their potential, South County might make a run at the state title in 2011.

“They played against each other at a pretty high level for so many years, and when they finally came together, it was kind of like a tornado,” Frazier said.

Beal Rounds into Form

Perhaps the linchpin of that storm is Evan Beal, who attracts a handful of pro scouts each time he takes the mound. They’re on hand to check out the South Carolina-bound pitcher’s poise and track his velocity with their radar guns.  

Even though Beal has been playing baseball for years, just two years ago he was attracting scouts from strong Division I football programs like the University of Maryland while he quarterbacked the Stallions’ varsity. His transition from a two-sport star to a serious baseball prospect occurred last summer when he refined his mechanics, bumped up his velocity and improved his command.

“When we faced Evan the first time (this season), his approach was different than it was last year,” said West Springfield coach John James, who coached some of the South County players on travel teams the past two years. “We kind of prepared for his tendencies and he went completely against that.”

Frank Beal said his son enjoyed football, but he saw the success he could have when he focused on baseball. He also felt his 6-4, wiry frame was better suited for the mound than the gridiron.

“Once he got more command of his pitches, he learned that it could be pretty fun,” Beal said. “He also got to be the star of the show, just like when he was the quarterback.”

Evan Beal’s decision to focus on baseball following 11th grade turned the Stallions from a team full of prospects to a championship contender.

“His velocity is better than the average high school pitcher, and he’s got a great breaking ball,” South County Coach Mark Luther said. “He’s starting to throw a change-up. When you start throwing that in the middle of the order it becomes more difficult for hitters to time him. He commands two of his pitches really well.”

While Beal, Bondurant, Frazier and Perez are getting well-deserved attention (they have combined for 12 wins and homers and each should receive All-Region consideration), fellow seniors Alex Carrington, Mike Egbert, Matt Devore and Daniel Krein have also played key roles in the Stallions season.

“We all realized that with all four of us together, we had the potential to be real good,” Bondurant said before a recent practice. “We all grew up together winning and once we got on the same team, we figured we would stick with it and see what we could do.”

If the Stallions are to make a push for a state title, Beal and Frazier will need to carry the pitching load. Experts say two key pitchers – Frazier has committed to attend UNC-Greensboro this fall – must come through in the postseason, more so even than the hitters.

“There are a ton of factors that go into winning a state championship, and a lot of it is good luck,” said James, who guided the Spartans to the 2010 state title. “You’ve got to have two really good pitchers to have a shot, which they have. And it helps if they swing the bats as well as they do. It really makes them a legitimate contender.”

Fairfax Station Move

Not only does a contending team need luck on the field – a close call going its way or a ball landing inches over the fence for an important home run – but off-the-field luck is important, too.

In 2005, Evan Beal wasn’t seen as a star, but Frank Beal’s older son, Jesse, who is now pitching in the Baltimore Orioles’ farm system, was. And when then-Hayfield coach Mark Luther left the Hawks to start the program at South County – due to a combination of personal reasons and his son’s relationship with the coach -- Frank Beal’s family moved, too.

Little did South County know that the lanky little brother was going to blossom into a dominant starting pitcher.

“I love catching him. It’s great to catch a guy of his talent,” Perez said. “When the scouts come, I try doing the best I can to keep him calm. … When the scouts are there and they’ve got their radar guns, I know it’s tough on him. He wants to do super-well. I just tell him ‘let the game come to you.’”

The Stallions will have had more than a week off heading into their first playoff game, and no one knows for sure whether that will be good or bad for their momentum.

Game-by-game

But for now, the players and parents are enjoying the ride, and they hope it doesn’t end until the State Championship Game on June 11 at Westfield High School.

“It’s going along as scripted. Everyone in the winter was saying ‘you guys are going to be really good’ and I was worried that the hype would kill us,” Dave Frazier said. “We’re just trying to live up to that standard.”

And the players clearly understand that 20-0 in the regular season and a slew of off-field honors won’t mean a thing unless it results in a state title.

“(We’re taking it) one game at a time. I know it’s something people say all the time,” Perez said. “But we haven’t won anything yet. We want to win our school’s first state championship.”

With the bright future so many of these players have, is it hard to focus on the immediate task?

“I’m playing for a good season this year. I’m not really looking at college right now, I’m just trying to win for my team,” Tyler Frazier said. “We’ve got a good chance of going far. We want a district championship, a regional championship and then a state championship.  Those are our goals.”

With the way the Stallions have played this year, winning some games in dominant fashion, others on , they’ve overcome plenty of obstacles.

At this point, perhaps biggest obstacle in their way might be the South County Senior Prom, scheduled for the night of June 10.