By Robert Wilson
MADISON – Chad Lipscomb will forever remember his first MAIS Class 6A win as Madison Ridgeland Academy’s head baseball coach.
Junior right-hander Aiden Peets and junior right-hander and Northwest Rankin transfer Dylan Varnell combined for a seven-hit shutout as MRA blanked seven-time defending MAIS Class 6A state champion Jackson Prep 3-0 Thursday night before an estimated 400 at MRA’s Patriot Field.
It was the first time Prep had been shut out by a MAIS team since 2016. Prep had scored in 231 consecutive games against MAIS teams since a 1-0 loss to Lamar School in 2016 until Thursday night.
MRA improved to 10-9 overall and 1-1 in league play. It was only the second time MRA had beaten Prep in the last 13 meetings.
Prep – which was ranked No. 20 in the country in the preseason by Perfect Game – dropped to 13-6-1 and has lost six of the last 12 games. Prep has now lost two more games than last year’s team, which won a school record 39 games and finished ranked No. 4 in the country, led by national player of the year Konnor Griffin, the No. 9 overall pick in last summer’s Major League Baseball Draft.
Prep had won 32 consecutive regular season conference games before Thursday’s loss, dating back to a 2-1 decision to Jackson Academy in Game 1 of the last regular season series in the 2022 season.
MRA’s win evened up the series at one game each. Prep defeated MRA 8-5 Tuesday night at Prep. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Prep in Flowood.
Prep has not lost a regular season conference series since losing two of three to JA to start the 2109 conference season.
Peets allowed six hits – all singles – with two strikeouts and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. Peets, who came in with a 1.11 earned run average this season, improved to 6-1. Varnell finished up and allowed only one hit with one strikeout and no walks in 1 2/3 innings. Varnell has not allowed any earned runs in 7 2/3 innings this season going into Thursday.
Only once, in the first inning, did Prep get a runner to third base. Peets got a strikeout with the bases loaded to end Prep’s scoring threat.
Lipscomb – who played at Delta State and was a part of Gulf South Conference championship team who went to the Division II World Series – was promoted after 16 years as an assistant to replace Allen Pavette, who led MRA to state championships in 2012 and 2016 in his 14 years at MRA.
Lipscomb knew his team could beat Prep, especially after the first game Tuesday.
“I just told our guys that Tuesday night, we outplayed them, we just didn’t win on the scoreboard,” said Lipscomb, who was a head coach at Adams County Christian School and Manchester Academy before coming to MRA. “Prep does a great job of taking advantage of other team’s mistakes and we have to just keep grinding and do the same thing. We have a good ball club, and we just have to keep working and learning how to win. We have played a tough schedule and a lot of close games. We just have to knock the wall down and it will start moving in the direction we want to go. I am proud of our guys and told them it’s just one step of many left to go. Take one step at a time.
“I thought Aiden was very in the moment with his outing. He has always been a guy that gets better as the game goes on. I am really proud of him. It was his longest outing of the year I believe. Dylan is the ultimate competitor. He has been a huge blessing to our program. Dylan has brought an edge to our team that our guys have attached to. Tonight was the first time on the mound in a while due to our staff being so deep, but he can be electric for us down the stretch.”
“I had all of my pitches working tonight, but my approach was to let them put the ball in play so our defense could work,” said Peets, whose grandfather Jimmy Peets went pro out of Greenville High and made it to Class AA ball before he hurt his arm. “It was a complete team effort and the defense played outstanding. We had a tough non-conference schedule, and it helped prepare us for the most important part of the season. Confidence is at an all-time high and we are ready to ball out tomorrow. This is just the first step towards the state championship.”
MRA – which has only two returning starters from last year’s 24-14 team, which lost to Prep in the semifinals – scored all three of its runs in the first two innings.
Junior third baseman and leadoff hitter Will Bizot singled, went to second on a throwing error on a pickoff, went to third on groundout and scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 MRA lead in the first inning.
Junior first baseman Jack Poole singled, went to second on a wild pitch, stole third base and scored on sophomore designated hitter Rhett Taylor’s sacrifice fly and junior centerfielder Gunnar Swanson had a two-out, bunt single to score senior second baseman Garrett Gardner for a 3-0 MRA lead in the second inning. Swanson had two hits.
It has been a rough few weeks for Prep, which started the season on an eight game winning streak.
Prep has five returning starters, but is missing Griffin, who is now playing pro ball with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition to losing Griffin to graduation, senior infielder-pitcher and Arizona State signee Tre Bryant is only playing designated hitter right now as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery from last fall. If healthy, Bryant would be playing third base or shortstop and pitching. Junior Kevin Roberts – who is rated the No. 3 player in the country by Baseball America in the Class of 2026 – has been playing first base instead of third base, shortstop and pitching due to a bruised shoulder from the Overall Tournament basketball championship game.
Roberts, Prep’s leadoff hitter, did have two hits along with senior right fielder Matthew “Ham” McKinley. Roberts connected for the biggest hit of Game 1 with a three-run home run, his first of the season, and had three hits, three RBIs and scored two runs.
“Tonight was a good game and hats off to Coach Lipscomb and staff for the way his team played,” Prep coach Brent Heavener said. “It came down to timely hitting. They were able to score some runs when they had the chances, and we were not able to get the big hit. We have to have a short memory and come out tomorrow, play good baseball at home and try to win the series.”
