HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: J.J. Kelly Answers Talk With Action, Rolls Into State Semifinals

J.J. Kelly High School’s baseball team had heard the talk for 12 months.

The Indians heard it in the halls, on Internet message boards and from other schools in Southwest Virginia. They also had placed high expectations on themselves to still be playing when early-June rolled around.

And now the team has reached its destination.

The Indians are in the Virginia High School League state semifinals and are among four Group A teams in the state still playing.

“It just feels good to get back and it’s where we wanted to be,” junior second baseman Matt Dotson said. “We’re hoping for a different outcome. I think it’s a different team. We’re a year older and have another year of experience under our belt.”

The Indians (22-4) will play Luray (26-1) today at 1 p.m. at Radford University.

It will be the second straight trip to the state semifinals for Kelly and the third under head coach David Wyrick. Last season, the Indians dropped a 14-4 decision to eventual state champion Strasburg in the semifinals.

So, the Indians are used to the atmosphere and the nuances of being among the state’s elite.

“We just try to keep our preparation and approach the same,” Dotson said. “We try not to change anything and stay with what works.”

A lot has worked for Kelly this season. The Indians are averaging 10.3 runs per game and have six regulars hitting over .350. Leading the hit parade are Cody Bentley (.476 batting average, five home runs, 28 RBIs), Dotson (.455, one home run, 10 RBIs), Devan Sproles (.385, one home run, 30 RBIs), Chris Strouth (.365, three home runs, 21 RBIs), Aaron Gardner (.361) and Zack Clifton (.357).

Meanwhile, Bentley (7-0, 3.02 ERA), Nick Roop (2-0, one save, 2.84 ERA), Zak Sturgill (7-3, 1.40 ERA) and Justin Wilson (5-1, two saves, 2.84 ERA) lead a deep pitching staff.

J.J. Kelly has also answered plenty of challenges this spring.

The Indians suffered a loss to Gate City in their regular-season finale and responded by steamrolling through the Lonesome Pine District tournament.

They also suffered a loss to Honaker in the finals of the Region D tournament, but went on the road and earned a 3-0 win over Region C champion Glenvar in the quarterfinals of the Group A state tournament.

“Losing to Honaker was tough,” Dotson said. “But we knew we had to win three games to win the state championship regardless. We just got focused on winning the next game.”

Bentley tossed a one-hitter and Dotson slugged a homer in the win over Glenvar.

Kelly will have to get good pitching and hitting against Luray. The Bulldogs rolled through the Shenandoah District and claimed the Region B title en route to their first state tournament berth in school history. They pounded out 17 hits and got five strong innings from ace Richard Galindez in a 17-4 quarterfinal victory over Lancaster.

While Luray is in its first state tourney, J.J. Kelly is one of Virginia’s most decorated programs. The tradition-rich program has eight state titles to its credit and has played in 11 state championship games.

STATE TOURNAMENT NOTES: Jeremy Leake is expected to get the start on the mound for Luray. The senior has been used mostly in relief and is 1-0 with a 1.84 ERA and has struck out 32 in 19 innings of work ... Region C representative James River (22-4) plays Essex (21-2) in the other Group A state semifinal … John Battle was the last team from Southwest Virginia to win a state title, claiming the Group A crown in 2001 … The last area team to play for a state baseball championship was Gate City, which lost to Mathews in the 2004 Group A title clash … The Group A state championship game will be held 10 a.m. Saturday at Radford University.
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