Jason Irion has been named the Delta Democrat-Times’ Baseball Player of the Year for how he plays all facets of the game. Irion is an all-around ball player but his favorite skill is pitching.
“I have been pitching since I was eight years old, and it is what I love to do,” Irion said. “I always try to stay calm on the mound and try to throw strikes and let my defense make the plays behind me.”
Irion’s Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 19-6 record, and clinched the Region 3-2A District Championship. On the mound, Irion won nine games for his team, finishing with a 9-2 overall record and a 1.80 ERA.
“Jason is a great baseball player, but more importantly he is just a tremendous kid. He is always trying to do what is best for the team,” Riverside coach Boo Ellis said after the season ended. “Jason is not an “I or me” person. He just wants to see the team get better.
“Jason is a leader who leads by example and he conducts himself the right way both on and off the field. He is also a tremendous hard worker and he is willing to do what it takes to become a better baseball player.”
Along with his stellar pitching, Irion was one of the Bulldogs’ top hitters. He finished the season with a .444 batting average, drove in 34 runs and hit four homers.
Irion said his favorite moment of the season was the grand slam he hit against Washington School. His blast gave the Bulldogs a late-inning lead.
“Once I hit it, the first base coach jumping up and down and I turned to look and it was gone,” Irion said. “I don’t think I will ever forget hitting that grand slam.”
Irion is currently preparing for his senior year of high school and is a linebacker on the football team; however, he said he is going to continue to work on his pitching throughout the fall and hopes to have the opportunity to play at the next level.
“I have to give Ellis a lot of credit for helping me in my baseball career,” he said. “He has taught me to always do my best, and then good things will eventually come.”
Irion said he was proud of the players who helped turn things around as well.
Because of COVID-19, Riverside won just two baseball games in 2020 and 10 games in 2021.
“I am super proud of these boys,” Ellis said on April 13, moments after receiving a Gatorade bath from his delighted players. “You have to remember that lot of these young guys were seventh graders and they were starting last year. But, they got a lot of playing time and that was a big reason for why they have accomplished so much this season.”
