The Inlet Grove baseball team is back on base with a new coach, Dontavious Jones, ready for a fresh start after over two decades of absence. 

Coach Jones said he wanted to restart the team because “baseball hasn’t been here in 25 years. So you know, they wanted to start a new program and build off that.” 

Jones said he played four years of varsity baseball at Fort Lauderdale High, two and a half years at Bethune-Cookman University, and then played semi-pro ball for the Miami Marlins organization.

“Starting the team has been challenging,” said Coach Jones, “since baseball hasn’t been active in 25 years, and that a lot of the things that we would need to start a baseball program, we don’t know.” 

The coach held the first interest meeting on Aug. 21 during the lunch period to gather students and inform them about the workouts that future athletes must do to be on the team. 

Seth Campbell, team captain and catcher, said he joined the team because, “I played when I was younger and I wanted to play again.” 

Joseph Campi, starting first, said he joined the team because “I’m Puerto Rican and I wanted to follow my heritage.” 

Coach Jones has a strict but respectful relationship with the players, said Jy’Heme Ellis, catcher and second base. “He makes sure we’re doing it fine, and he helps us personally as well.” 

“I treat my players with respect,” Coach Jones said. “I do discipline them and I try to teach them the difference between right and wrong, how to make decisions as a young man, and try to stay away from negativity and bad decision making.” 

Some players said the team has very strained relationships with a lot of divisions between the players and a low amount of unity. 

“The teammates don’t stay together,” said Aiden Sinclair, first baseman and a junior, “and you can feel how all the teammates have their little divided parts.” 

 Other players said that the team has a great relationship with each other. “It’s great they’re like my big brothers,” said Kashif Montgomery, second baseman and pitcher, who is a freshman

 “We’re like brothers,” Jy’Heme said, “and we also have a sister, and we just all work together.

Mariella Cue is the first and only female on the team. Her position is second base, and her number is 11. 

“I just joined it spontaneously, but I’ve come to enjoy it a lot, so I stayed on the team,” said Mariella 

She said she doesn’t feel any different than the guys on the team. “It feels fine. I mean, I’m close with all the other players, so they don’t make it seem like I’m the odd one out.” 

All the players said she’s just one of the guys, and they see no reason to treat her differently. Aiden Sinclair, first base, said, “I wouldn’t say so. It doesn’t affect any of them, because nobody sees her any differently.”

“So this is our first year of the school having this baseball team in 25 years. I feel like every game we’re improving, and we’re doing something better.” Said Zaden Baptist, team captain and outfielder. “Our score’s getting better, so although we haven’t won a game, I feel like we’re winning in our own ways.”

“I feel like we could have done better. We do need to work more on our communication and offense,” said Jeremiah Hacksaw, third base and pitcher.

The team won its first game of the season on Aug. 3, 18-3. 

To follow the team on their journey, you can follow their Instagram account @InletGrove_HurricaneBaseball and their TikTok account @IGHS_Baseball.