The Player Perspective: FHS Baseball Find New Energy on 12 Game Winning Streak

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FHS SmugMug

FHS Sr. Captain Chris Goode (far right) waits on deck to bat as his Panthers teammates roar behind from the dugout.

Ryan Martin

With only three more games to go in their waning regular season, Franklin Baseball has been on a roll as of late. After starting 3-3 over their first six games, the Panthers have rattled off 12 straight wins to the tune of a 15-3 record, putting FHS atop the Kelley-Rex division as the MIAA D1 State Tournament looms closer. So what flipped for Franklin? To hear directly from the source, I caught up with FHS Baseball Senior Captains Chris Goode and Jacob Jette before their win yesterday at Milford.

*Interview Conducted Wednesday, May 18*

Ryan Martin: After having every loss on the season come in a one-week span, Franklin has rattled off 11 straight wins to be sitting atop the division. Between that losing skid and this winning streak was the trip the team took to Cooperstown, NY over April Vacation. Speak a little bit on what the mood of the team (after losing 3 straight) was at the beginning of the trip vs. the mood when you guys got back to Franklin. Do you credit the trip to Cooperstown for helping you guys get back on track?

Jacob Jette: We still knew that we were a good team and capable of big things. It just so happened that at the beginning of the season the ball wasn’t bouncing our way. Losing 3 in a row made us slow down and just focus on winning each day which started in practice. The trip to Cooperstown came at the perfect time, it gave us a break to get away from everything that was going on in our season and just go have fun with the team. We did everything together and it made us closer as a result. I think that we owe a lot of credit to our success now not only to Cooperstown but also to the coaching staff that we have.

Chris Goode: Losing 3 straight games just made us realize that we needed to work harder and start playing as a team. The energy in the dugout shifted and everything was different. The trip to Cooperstown did help us build some chemistry as a team, which allowed us to have more energy as a team out on the field.

 

RM: Included in that win streak was last week’s win vs. Taunton, avenging an earlier loss which had ended your undefeated season in early April. As captains, what differences did you guys notice between the two games? Is this a new Franklin team since that first Taunton game?

FHS Sr. Captain Chris Goode looks at a pitch coming in vs. Taunton. Goode finished the game 3 for 4 with a double and run scored. (FHS SmugMug)

JJ: The main difference between these two games was our energy level. Taunton is a great team but we just look at it like we are competing against Franklin. All year Coach Brown has told us the only ones who can beat us are ourselves. If we play our game and maintain energy from start to finish we are confident that it does not matter who we are playing because we will win that game.

CG: Energy and competition level: guys were grinding out at-bats and playing with a higher energy level the second time around.

 

RM: Looking at what’s changed for Franklin over this winning streak, it’s clear to see that pitching and defense has come to play. Franklin allowed 2 or fewer runs in 10 of the 11 games during this winning streak, with the exception being a 14-4 Mercy against SJP. Chris, as a hitter, how much extra confidence do you get at the plate when you know there’s a reliable pitching staff and defense behind you?

CG: It really just takes the stress out of hitting when you know you have guys that are going to be dealing on the mound. Even if it is a high-pressure situation, I feel calm and collected up at the plate knowing that even if the outcome isn’t what I want, the guys on the mound are going to keep the game close.

 

RM: Sticking with the pitching, not only is the staff having success early in games, but the starters have been able to stay consistent as of late – With Kuczmiec going the full 7 in that Taunton game and Al doing the same against Mansfield on Monday, Franklin’s had pitchers toss Complete Games in back to back games. Jacob, with being the leader in this staff and working with them every day at practice, what do you think makes this rotation so special?

JJ: I think what makes our rotation so special is that we don’t have just one “Ace” of the pitching staff like most other teams. Instead, we have 3 guys who have shown they could be the #1 guy on almost any other team in the league. This makes it so difficult for other teams because every game our team knows that our pitchers will put us in a spot to win the game. Another thing that makes our rotation so special is our relievers, we have multiple guys who we are confident in to close out a close game.

 

RM: Looking ahead to the rest of the season, you guys play 2 of your next 3 games against Hock Teams before wrapping up the regular season with the MetroWest Tournament. As leaders of this team, what do you see as being the most important factors in keeping this hot streak going into the playoffs?

FHS Sr. Captain Jacob Jette hurls a pitch towards a Bulldog batter in Franklin’s Season Opener at Canton. The Southpaw is committed to playing collegiate baseball at UMass Lowell. (via FHS SmugMug)

JJ: The most important thing for us is that we have to stay focused on winning each day. We have a great rhythm going and are winning a lot of games, but what we did in the past has no effect on the outcome of the next game. In the upcoming weeks, we will have a lot of distractions such as graduation, senior week, and summer starting but we have all put too much into this season to lose focus on what we are trying to accomplish this year. 

CG: Jette said it best, winning each day. Even on days when we are just practicing, we compete at a high level and never take the foot off the gas. As long as we win each day, we will keep the ball rolling.

 

After earning their 12th win in a row with a 12-0 win over Milford last night, Franklin now has its sights set on bringing that energy level back home as they host Framingham tonight (7:00 PM).