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, 2½ 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 a lot of the things that we would need to start a baseball program, we don’t know.”
Coach held the first interest meeting during lunch on August 21, 2024 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 at first base, said “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 baseman. “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 discipline them, and I try to teach them the difference between right and wrong, how to make decisions as a young man, and how to stay away from negativity and bad decision-making.”
Some players said the team has strained relationships with a lot of divisions between the players and a lack 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 tight-knit relationship. “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.
Mariela Cue is the first and only female on the team. She plays second base and is number 11.
“I just joined it spontaneously,” said Mariela, “but I’ve come to enjoy it a lot, so I stayed on the team.”
She said she doesn’t consider herself different from 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.”
Some of the players said she’s just one of the guys. “Nobody sees her any differently,” said first baseman Aiden Sinclair.
“I feel like every game we’re improving, and we’re doing something better,” said Zaden Baptist, team captain and outfielder. “Although we haven’t won a game, I feel like we’re winning in our own ways.”
“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 finished off the season with two wins.
To keep up with the team on their journey, fans can follow their Instagram account @InletGrove_HurricaneBaseball, and their TikTok account @IGHS_Baseball.
