COLUMBIA — Rock Bridge senior shortstop Jordan Smith may not have been one of the three players listed off by coach Justin Towe as having done well in the game against Blue Springs South, but the outline of a smile was present after the 4-3 loss.
Expressing his disapproval of the performance , Towe said he didn't know if the team had even shown up for Saturday's game.
Smith was the last out for the game with an easy popup fly. He said the most frustrating part was that it was such a close loss, but that the next game will be completely different is what makes baseball so fun.
"We just need to stay positive, stay confident, learn from it and move on," Smith said. "We can't let negatives in the past affect us like that."
This mentality is echoed throughout the senior class when they work to try and help the younger players move through tough losses .
Towe said the senior class has been exceptional at keeping a family mentality, helping the younger classes through the struggles of tough times.
"They've been rocks for everybody," Towe said.
Even though Smith is a big support for the younger players, he wouldn't have been able to get through high school without his own rock to support him.
Smith said his brother helped instill the work ethic that he lives by today. As a freshman, his brother told him to "start going" and working harder because he wasn't as big or strong as the other guys.
Smith said he's still following his brother around to everything. His brother played for Rock Bridge, and is now a senior at William Woods University, where Smith himself will play baseball next year.
Having grown up in a baseball loving family led by his father, Smith has been playing ever since he could remember. He grew up alongside teammates Jack Widhalm, Jake Walters, Nick Wohlbold and Logan Rodgers, playing for the Mid-Missouri Hurricanes before Rock Bridge.
"It was just baseball, baseball, baseball pretty much every spring and fall," Smith said. "That's kind of what we want to do now. Just go out there and have fun like we're little kids."
Smith and his teammates will host a rescheduled game at 5:30 p.m. on Monday against Hickman.
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