Making their mark
- Updated: June 8, 2024
Tyree part of Monsters’ best pitching performance this season, and Kirk contributes with single and two steals in victory over Brookhaven.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD — Carson Tyree held up in his first pitching outing since October on Saturday, and Weston Kirk made a trip around the bases.
Both local products contributed on a night when the Choccolocco Monsters turned in their best pitching performance this season in an 8-3 victory over the Brookhaven Bucks at Choccolocco Park.
Starter Howell Polk, Thomas Ballard, Tyree and Griff Minor combined to hold the Bucks to eight hits as the Monsters improved to 3-0.
This for a team won its first two games 11-10 and 9-8 in 10 innings.
Polk, who started the season inactive because he pitched for High Point in the NCAA Clemson Regional final, worked the first three innings. allowing seven hits and two first-inning runs. Ballard allowed one hit and one walk in 4 2/3 innings of relief.
“First, my leadoff line … all glory to God,” Monsters coach Ricky Ray Clayton said. “Howell Polk did an amazing job for us. He gave up a lot of dinks and dunks, just balls that found a hole.Nothing hit hard, and he just kept battling and did a great job.
“Thomas Ballard was absolutely outstanding. He’s going to be a huge asset for us. He was really good tonight and shut the door down on them and allowed us to be able to get back on the box and settle back in and score some runs.”
Tyree was next out of the pen, allowing no hits and no walks in 2/3 of an inning before turning it over to Minor for the final 2/3 of an inning.
The mound appearance was a breakthrough for Tyree. The former White Plains High pitcher had not made a mound appearance since last Oct. 23, during fall ball for Jacksonville State.
Recovered from a partial posterior cruciate ligament tear, he returned to ready status in May, two months ahead of schedule. The Monsters moving back to Oxford from Columbus, Ga., gave him a chance to play summer ball close to home.
On Saturday, Tyree faced one batter in the eighth inning and worked one out into the ninth.
“I’m just looking to learn and looking to build,” he said. “I just feel blessed and grateful for the opportunity to be playing for the Choccolocco Monsters this summer to expand my baseball knowledge and, hopefully, get a call soon.
“I’m just here learning, getting my feet wet again and just getting after it.”
Since graduating from White Plains in 2021, Tyree has added velocity, jumping from high-80s to mid-90s, he said.
“First of all, he’s a great kid,” Clayton said. “I’m just happy to see him succeed. He’s learning and doing a great job, and he’s confidence is just going to keep going up and up.”
Kirk showed up in the box score Saturday thanks to his eighth-inning single and two steals before scoring on Cole Tremain’s two-run single to make it 8-3. After seeing action at shortstop Friday, he played second base Saturday.
“He come up big in the eighth, got it started for us,” Clayton said. “We needed those two runs.”
Kirk’s journey has taken him from Spring Garden to Lurleen B. Wallace Community College and Gadsden State. He’ll play for Spring Hill College starting this fall. He’s one of three current Monsters players who played on the 2022 version that played in Oxford before moving to Columbus.
When he learned that Top Gun Athletic owner Roby Brooks would be the Monsters’ general manager in 2024, Kirk found a way to reach him.
“I followed them on Instagram and saw they were coming back to Oxford, so I just figured out Roby’s number and just got in touch with him,” Kirk said. “I believe this gives us pretty good exposure. Scouts will come and watch these games, and it gives you good live ABs before the next year.
“It’s just a good start for the summer to get the fall rolling.”
Photo gallery by Joe Medley
You must be logged in to post a comment Login