- April 28, 2024
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Although Matanzas High School is struggling to find consistency and is only winning one out of every three games so far this season, Coach Jim Perry sees a bright future, thanks to his star outfielder, sophomore Bobby Sparling.
Sparling, who Perry says is the team’s MVP so far this year, leads the Pirates in most offensive categories, as of March 23. He has hit the team’s only home run, is batting 15-for-45 for a .333 average, and has seven doubles and 12 runs batted in.
The only category in which Sparling isn’t leading the team is hits. That honor is held by his brother, Matt, who has 17 hits.
Is there a friendly competition going on in the dugout for the team lead in hits?
“There’s a lot of conversation about that, yessir,” Perry said.
The two Sparlings exhibit a great deal of brotherly love on the team. “They pick on each other,” Perry said, “but they also pick each other up.”
For example, Perry continued, Matt Sparling had a tough performance on the mound in the second week of the season, and Bobby “was very positive with his words toward him, saying, ‘We’re going to be all right,’” Perry said. “They’re as classic a set of brothers as you could have.”
The team’s quest for consistency has a deadline: The district tournament begins April 18.
