Cross rising as chief for Redskins in his senior season

Luke Cross prefers to go about his day-to-day enterprise with out a lot fanfare, usually leaving the highlight to different members of the Social Circle Excessive Faculty baseball workforce. Even so, he has made a profound affect on these round him by regular, unassuming management.  

Chosen as one among two workforce captains—fellow senior Gehrig Knapp was the opposite—previous to the season, Cross has performed a nearly flawless first base, carved out his spot as a productive cleanup hitter and served as a stabilizing drive inside a locker room crammed with a self-professed motley crew of characters all making an attempt to drag in the identical path.  

“I believe the largest factor that makes him a superb chief is his capability to handle any scenario that’s put earlier than him,” Social Circle head coach Kevin Dawkins stated. “He has been in so many pressure-packed conditions. Nothing actually rattles him, so when issues aren’t going the perfect or we’re behind in a sport and his teammates take a look at him and he’s capable of keep calm and centered, that helps them keep the identical manner.” 

Cross takes his captaincy to coronary heart.

“We attempt to verify everyone seems to be doing their half and taking apply severely,” he stated. “It’s essential to us that we’ve got enjoyable whereas additionally doing what we have to do. This group makes it simpler for us to guide due to the work everybody needs to place in.”  

Proof might be discovered within the outcomes. The Redskins gained 12 of their first 13 video games and outscored the opposition by a 118-41 margin whereas doing so. They overcame a roster-wide flu bug that contributed to their solely defeat and slowed their progress to a crawl, cementing themselves as one of many high 1A groups within the state amid appreciable adversity. Cross factors to chemistry as one of many driving forces behind their quick begin. Lots of the gamers who type the workforce’s core had been suiting up collectively years earlier than they ever reached the varsity degree. 

“We’ve simply been enjoying baseball with one another for therefore lengthy,” Cross stated. “Most of us have been enjoying collectively since we had been little and in journey ball. Everybody’s unselfish and desires to choose up their teammates.” 

Ranked as excessive as No. 4 within the state in no less than two respected polls, Social Circle opens play in Area 4-A Division I towards Putnam County on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Eatonton. The three-game sequence with the Conflict Eagles concludes in a house doubleheader on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Cross and his quiet confidence determine to be in the course of the motion at one level or one other, because the senior first baseman has made vital strides by way of manufacturing in 2025. By 13 video games, he leads the workforce in batting (.471), slugging proportion (.676), on-base plus slugging (1.164), hits (16) and runs batted in (13). Cross has struck out solely seven instances in 47 plate appearances. He credit his work at The Dugout with longtime hitting teacher Invoice Dallas for a lot of his success.   

“Luke has been hitting with me for years,” stated Dallas, who has fine-tuned swings for numerous highschool, school and main league gamers in his greater than 50 years as a coach. “He understood at an early age precisely the best way I educate hitting: Hold your physique quiet so your head stays nonetheless, and go straight to the ball.” 

There have been indicators of what was to come back for Cross proper out of the gate. In his first at-bat of the season, he lined a ringing double off the left-center area fence—he missed a house run by little greater than a foot—as a part of a 3-for-3 night time in an 8-0 win at Commerce on Feb. 10. He has pushed the ball to all fields with authority ever since. 

“Luke labored actually laborious within the offseason on making the minor tweaks that had been impacting his capability to hit at a excessive clip,” Dawkins stated. “The one factor that I believe has allowed him to take his swing to the subsequent degree is his capability to make changes mid at-bat. He’s capable of diagnose what didn’t really feel proper in a selected swing and might repair internally no matter it was that went fallacious.” 

Whereas a loss at Monroe Space on March 6 ended Social Circle’s bid for perfection, all preseason targets stay in place for a tradition-rich program that has made 4 straight appearances within the Candy 16, highlighted by a historic Remaining 4 run throughout Cross’ freshman yr in 2022. His senior class has already mixed for 85 victories and seems to have a official likelihood to eclipse the century mark earlier than the mud settles.   

“We would like a area championship,” Cross stated. “That’s one thing we haven’t achieved shortly, and we expect we’ve got a very good shot at it. We additionally wish to make one other deep run within the playoffs. We predict we will compete for a state title. This is likely one of the greatest groups within the state once we’re enjoying our greatest.”