Carson Graham is a linebacker at heart who also has a talent to throw a baseball. Graham, a sophomore at St. Joseph Catholic School, loves nothing more than strapping on his football helmet and wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.
“I love football the most because I love to hit,” he said.
But Graham is a year-round competitor and his passion for baseball is only growing stronger. The better he gets at pitching, the more he likes it.
Graham has a perfect 3-0 record this season on the mound for the Irish with two saves. He, along with fellow ace Simar Thomas, are two big reasons why the Irish have one of their best starts in recent memory under first-year coach Jason Taylor.
St. Joseph currently holds an 8-1 record and 4-1 mark in district 4-2A play. As the Irish head down the home stretch of their season, Graham believes the sky is the limit.
“Our main goal is to win state, and I believe we can do that because we are getting better and better after every game,” Graham said.
This new and improved Irish team has taken their opponents off guard. St. Joseph, a historically strong baseball program which once won its district for 22 straight years, struggled when it joined the MAIS in 2015.
Those struggles are no more.
“The other teams we play against are definitely surprised we are this much better,” Graham said. “They are like, ‘I don’t remember ya’ll being this good. Whether it’s their shortstop, catcher or first baseman, they all seem surprised.”
St. Joseph has won most of its games this season in commanding fashion. For example, the Irish defeated Manchester 12-4 on Tuesday in a game where Simar Thomas gave up just five hits in a complete game victory.
St. Joe’s Graham and Jordan Jennings each collected two hits in the victory, and they also each drove in three runs. Greg Fore had a hit and an RBI.
“The kids have bought into what they need to do,” Coach Taylor said. “We still have a long way to go, but we are doing some good things.”
Making St. Joseph’s success even more impressive is that they have played every one of their games this season on the road because St. Joseph’s infield grass was killed by the recent bad weather.
Coach Taylor said he is unsure if his team will have any games at home this season.
No matter where they play their games, this year’s Irish bunch has come to far to start making excuses now.
“We are getting better because Coach Taylor is coaching us hard,” Graham said. “That is what we all need in a coach. Because if a coach doesn’t push you hard, you are not going to get anywhere.”
