By Robert Wilson

      Jackson Prep hasn’t lost many games by nine runs or more during their seven-year run as MAIS Class 6A state baseball champions and have been nationally ranked for many of those years.

      Hartfield Academy got one of those rare lopsided wins against Prep last week and senior pitcher and Jacksonville (Ala.) State signee JP Abt was a big reason why.

      The 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander allowed only one hit and one run and struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings to lead Hartfield to a 11-2 victory over Prep in non-conference game.

      For his outstanding performance, Abt has been named the BSN Sports/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Baseball Player of the Week.

      In addition to his pitching performance against Prep, Abt had two triples, a double and a single, scored five runs and had five runs batted in a 7-1 victory over Natchez Cathedral last week.

      Abt, who plays shortstop when he doesn’t pitch, came into the week with a .446 batting average, 22 runs scored, 25 RBIs, 7 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs and a 2-0 pitching record with a 2.14 earned run average with 24 strikeouts and 7 walks in 16 1/3 innings this season for Hartfield, 14-2 and ranked No. 4 in Mississippi by MaxPreps.

      “JP has really been impressive on the mound,” Hartfield coach Justin Smith said. “We started him in the closer role for this year, but quickly realized it would best suit our team if he was a starter. He is doing a phenomenal job commanding the strike zone. JP is seeing the ball well at the plate. He has incredible natural ability and work ethic. Over the years, he has really bought into the mental development of the game. I believe that is making him a confident and dominant player.”

      Abt is the son of John and Leslie Abt. John was a Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen pitcher for Terry High and pitched for Hinds Community College in the Junior College World Series. Leslie graduated from Brandon High and Belhaven. Abt’s brother, Henry, is a junior on the Hartfield baseball team and is a Jacksonville, Ala., State commitment. Abt’s uncle, Walker Williams, was the Mississippi Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year at Brandon High. Abt’s cousin, Emily Dixon, won the state girls soccer championship at Northwest Rankin this season. Aunt Laura Britt was a cheerleader at University of Alabama-Birmingham and is a sports reporter in the Bay Area in California. 

      Hartfield plays at Madison St. Joseph in the second game of a three-game MAIS Class 6A conference series Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Mississippi Scoreboard selects a baseball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by text or call to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.

PREVIOUS WINNERS 

WEEK ONE: Sawyer Bates, Canton Academy