East Franklin baseball off to 4-0 start to 2024 season

The East Franklin Junior High baseball team is off to a perfect 4-0 start in its 2024 campaign, picking up doubleheader wins on the road at Belgreen and Winston County.

The Rebels have been impressive both on the mound and in the batter’s box, outscoring opponents 34-9 over 15 innings.

“We’re swinging the bats and we’ve got some pretty dang good pitching,” said East Franklin head coach David Ward.

“This is probably got to be one of the best starts ever for the program,” assistant coach Trey Benford added.

East Franklin started off the season on Feb. 20 with a doubleheader against Belgreen. The Rebels took both, winning 7-4 and 14-0. In game one, Isaac Duboise pitched all three innings and finished with four strikeouts. At the plate, Duboise added a hit, a run, and an RBI alongside RBIs from Eli Baker and Kye Baker.

In game two, the Rebels used a massive 10-run first inning to propel them to the rout of the Bulldogs. Isaac Duboise had an even better performance at the plate in game two with two hits and five RBI while Miles Duboise led the team with three hits and two runs scored. The most impressive performance, however, came from Eli Baker on the bump. Baker earned the win, tossing a six-strikeout no-hitter. 

“Eli Baker is a seventh grader who threw a no-hitter, which is impressive,” Ward said. “We’re really looking at him.”

Younger players like Baker coming into the team and playing big roles have been a pleasant surprise for the Rebels, Benford said.

“Biggest thing right now is how happy we are with our youth. We’re starting six or seven seventh graders right now,” he said. “We’re really excited having that many seventh graders coming in and making that big of an impact.”

East Franklin traveled to play Winston County on Feb. 26, adding 4-3 and 9-2 results to the win column. The Rebels were able to eke out a one-run win in five innings with Isaac Duboise back on the mound in game one. He allowed two earned runs off six hits and fanned 12 batters over five innings.

“Our main thing, our strongest thing right now has probably been our pitching, and we’ve got some really good kids that are stepping up,” Ward said.

Duboise, a ninth-grader, is the number one on the Rebels’ pitching staff that includes Eli Baker and Miles Duboise. Benford said his presence will be key to East Franklin’s success this year.

“I think last year…he had almost 100 strikeouts. Having him back this year is massive for us,” Benford said.

East Franklin took game two in more convincing fashion, beating the Yellow Jackets 9-2 in four innings. The Rebels, led by a four-RBI game from Isaac Duboise, scored two runs in the first, another four runs in the second, and capped the scoring with three runs in the third inning. Miles Duboise started on the mound and pitched three innings, allowing two runs off two hits and struck out six. Eli Baker came in in relief and tossed a scoreless fourth inning with two strikeouts.

Benford said the wins over Winston County point to just how well the Rebels are playing early this season.

“We came in knowing we were going to be pretty good, but (the players) have come out and just blown away expectations,” he said. “We beat Winston County, which played their (junior varsity) team, I think.”

“Being able to beat a team like that, you know, is pretty big for us,” he added.

Talent has played its role in the team’s flawless start so far, but Ward said coachability and work ethic has been a big factor.

“I think it’s because the kids like to work, and you know I’m going to work them,” Ward said. “They’re easy to teach and it’s a good group of kids. They want to learn, they’re eager to learn, and very enthusiastic.”

Ward, in his low-key way, said success at the end of the year looks simple.

“Keep winning. Keep getting better,” he said. “Success is just getting better and improving each game.”

Still, the Rebels are excited about the 4-0 start, and Benford said East Franklin wants to continue to defy the doubters.

“People still think we’re that East Franklin team that’s not as good as everyone else, but we want to prove that we’re the best,” he said. “That’s been the message, don’t get too content.”