By Robert Wilson
RIDGELAND – St. Andrew’s baseball coach Mark Fanning won his 600th career game last week. He liked No. 601 even better.
Fanning’s defending MHSAA Class 2A state champion Saints defeated Loyd Star 9-3 in the third and deciding game in the first round of the MHSAA Class 2A playoffs Tuesday night before an estimated 250 at St. Andrew’s Barkett-Cummings Field.
St. Andrew’s improved to 21-9, bounced back from an 8-7 loss in Game 2 last week at Loyd Star in Brookhaven and advanced to the quarterfinals. The Saints will play Clarkdale in a best of three series. Game 1 will be Thursday at Clarkdale, Game 2 Friday at St. Andrew’s and Game 3, if necessary, will be Monday et Clarkdale,. St. Andrew’s eliminated Clarkdale last season in the playoffs and Clarkdale eliminated St. Andrew’s two years ago in the playoffs.
Loyd Star, which lost 11-5 in Game 1 at St. Andrew’s last week, finished 15-13.
Fanning won his 600th game in Game 1 of the series in his 28th season at St. Andrew’s. The Newton County High, East Central Community College, and Mississippi College graduate was named the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Coach of the Year last season when he guided the Saints to a 32-7 record (one short of the school record for wins) and an MHSAA Class 2A state championship, the second of his career, the first one was in 2018.
No. 601 was in doubt for the first several innings before St. Andrew’s scored six runs in the fourth and fifth innings for a 7-2 lead. Senior designated hitter and Hendrix College signee Mark Eaton and sophomore third baseman Rylan Baldwin had run-scoring singles to key the four-run, fifth inning.
Eaton led St. Andrew’s with three hits. Senior first baseman Stone Myrick and his brother, sophomore pitcher-third baseman Cash Myrick – sons of former Delta State All-American outfielder Casey Myrick – had two hits each. St. Andrew’s No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, centerfielder Luke Peterson and third baseman Rylan Baldwin, combined for three hits and five RBIs.
And Cash Myrick, making only his second start on the mound this season, was outstanding. Myrick, a right-hander who improved to 4-1, allowed six hits, one earned run with three strikeouts and no walks in 5 1/3 innings.
When Loyd Star threatened a comeback in the seventh inning, junior John William Walker came in a put out the fire in relief of sophomore reliever Pierce Ingram. Walker came in with runners on first and second and no outs and threw strikes, getting three of the next four batters out to finish the game. Walker threw 13 pitches, 10 for strikes.
“Cash had pitched really well in relief lately, so we decided to start him in this Game 3,” Fanning said. “We felt like he would throw a lot of strikes, keep them off balance, and hold them down until we could score some runs. He did exactly that and limited some damage by pitching out of a few early jams. Our lineup was a little different tonight since Cash normally plays third but was our starting pitcher. Rylan Baldwin stepped in and produced a two out, two RBI single and also had a bases loaded walk to contribute to our offense, as well as making all of his defensive plays. Luke Peterson, hitting in the eighth spot in the order, contributed two big RBI hits and made a couple of plays in centerfield. Rylan and Luke both stepped up in the bottom of our order to provide big hits on a night when we struggled to get the big hit at the top of our order. Mark Eaton also had three hits to drive in a couple of runs and provide some separation between us and them. Cash and his brother Stone were also a big part of our offense tonight by starting several rallies and being on base seven of their eight at bats. We did not execute great in the series, but did enough tonight to score a few runs, and was helped greatly by the production from the bottom of the order.”
It was quite a night for the Myrick brothers. They reached base seven of the eight times they came up to the plate. And Cash’s pitching performance was icing on the cake. Casey Myrick, who played for the Statemen in the late 1990s, had to be excited about his sons’ performances.
“Before the game, we all did our team meeting in left field and Coach Fanning gave me some good words to talk to the team about,” Stone Myrick said. “I told everyone to be selective and work the count. I told them to pick out their pitch and not to miss it. Cash was told that he got the start, and I could tell from the get-go that he was locked in and wanted it bad. He showed us tonight and I would have to say his best and most clutch outing of the year. He didn’t walk a better and trusted his defense and we got it done. I feel like the game at Loyd Star was a wakeup call to everyone and we knew that if we played our game we would execute. Tonight, the guys woke up and we responded and moved on.”
“I was really feeling good going into the game because there was so much energy flowing throughout all my teammates and just in the atmosphere,” Cash Myrick said. “Going into this game, everyone knew this was a must win game and that everyone had to play their part for us to secure the win. Knowing that, made it easier to pitch because I knew that I have the best defense in 2A covering all the balls hit behind me, and that really helped me pitch. I could just fill the strike zone up then let my defense work and get me out of jams. I think another thing that helped me do well tonight was my desire to win this game. I knew that one loss in this series doesn’t define who we are as a team, and I wanted to prove that. Another thing that helped was my coaches going into that game, I’m really grateful that they put me in this position and I’m super grateful that they trusted me to help us win that game. My catcher, James Mcchost, helps me pitch and he and I are always thinking the same thing. Pitching to him helps me know that the right calls are being made. Knowing I have a catcher that lets nothing behind him always boosts my confidence. Our team offensively stood out this year because everyone does their job. Tonight, the bats started off a little shaky and then once we got going, everyone started doing amazing. No matter the top of the bottom of the lineup, everyone gets done what needs to be done. Batting behind my brother has been my favorite thing this season because after seeing him get a good hit makes me automatically want to match him and do what he does so we can start rallies and score more runs. But in all, everyone on his team has been such a big help because of the energy and positivity they have been providing.”
“We knew going into this game that if we just stuck to our brand of baseball that we would have a great chance to win and that’s what we did,” Walker said. “We didn’t try to do too much, just did the little things right. Cash pitched great for us, and it was huge for him to pitch five and a third innings like he did because we have a lot of pitching available going into the next round now. Going into close the game is a position I’ve gotten used to this season, and I knew with us up six runs, I didn’t have to try to do too much, just hit my spots and let my defense work. Our eight and nine hole hitters, Luke and Rylan, came up huge for us tonight in some big spots. Luke stepped up with some really clutch hits. Rylan has been waiting all year for his chance, too, and he finally got it tonight and definitely made the most of it with a great performance at the plate and on defense. As a whole, the team was great and they were able to pick me up when I wasn’t having a great night, in order to keep our back to back championship hopes alive.”
Fanning was a star shortstop and pitcher at Hickory High before the school consolidated, along with Decatur High, into the Newton County High in 1990. He played basketball and baseball his junior year at Newton County High and played football (receiver and kicker), basketball and baseball as a senior. Fanning played baseball for his father, Mack Fanning, at Hickory and Newton County. The Fannings led Newton County to a 23-7 record Mark’s senior year, and he played in the all-star game in 1992. He played shortstop, second base and third base for two seasons at East Central CC and two seasons at Mississippi College. Fanning did his student teaching at Clinton High in the spring of 1997 and coached baseball with then Clinton High coach Doug Hutton.
Fanning worked with former St. Andrew’s baseball coach Mike Barkett at Barkett Sports in 1996 and Barkett asked Fanning if he would be interested in the St. Andrew’s baseball job in the spring of 1998. Twenty-eight years and 601 wins later, Fanning is still there, one of the most successful baseball coaches in Mississippi.
“Winning 600 games means that you have coached a lot of games and have had some really good players,” Fanning said. “I am proud of the consistency of our program, averaging around 22 wins a year when we can only play 28 regular season games and then playoffs. I think it is also very special to have all of the wins at the same school. Coaches tend to move around a lot these days, so coaching at the same school my entire career has been a blessing. I would also like to thank St. Andrew’s and former head of school Dave Wood for taking a chance on a guy straight out of college without any coaching experience and trusting me to run our baseball program. There have been so many great memories throughout the years and St. Andrew’s baseball will always be a huge part of my life.”
