Yazoo City’s Indians are back under the watchful eye of Gerald Peyton after a multi-year hiatus.
Since he has been gone, a number of things have changes, and he says that not all of the changes have been for the better.
When Peyton returned, he was not pleased with what he saw.
The facilities had taken a big hit in a short couple of years.
“The entire culture of the baseball program had gone backwards,” Peyton said. “The facilities, for one, were not kept up. There were leaks on the field that had not been repaired in two years. The restroom floors needed replacing and were kept out of order for the fans. They had to go to the field house to use the restroom. Trash would be left on the ground after games and it would be there before some games.”
To have a team worth respecting, Peyton first made moves to give them a respectable place to play.
Thanks to some donations, he has been able to do a lot of needed work.
“My first order of business was to work on getting the facilities back in order,” Peyton said. “The two leaks on the field have been repaired. The backstop has been repaired and will be fully padded. The rye grass has been planted. My friends have donated items to help me with these things and some others. I’m still in the process of rebuilding the mound. Mother Nature has put a great deal of restraint on the field upgrades.”
The field was not the only issue Peyton had upon his return.
“My second order of business was to get these attitudes and lack of maturity in check,” Peyton said. “This group of seniors and the team are very immature. They do not take the game seriously. Many do not even watch the game on television. If you do not love the game, you are not there to get better. I am constantly getting calls about them from their teachers. I have to incorporate disciplinary procedures with them for simple things.”
According to Peyton, one of the biggest issues has been finding senior leadership to help lead the team.
“I do not have the leadership that I had when I had seniors like Brandon Hollins, Donta Clark, Ricky Luckett, Leroy Jones, Chris Pleasant, Jermaine Jones, Ralph Jones, Anthony Johnson, Sam Campbell, Tre Richardson, and others,” Peyton said. “I could leave those players in charge as seniors, and we wouldn’t skip a beat.”
The Indians are off to an 0-3 start to the season after falling to Kosciusko twice and Vicksburg.
Not having the ability to practice on the field has certainly hampered the Indians thus far.
“We have not practiced one day on the field thanks to the weather,” Peyton said.
In a double-header against Kosciusko on the road, the Indians fell 13-1 and 16-1.
On the following day on a road trip to Vicksburg, the Indians fell 9-1 to fall to 0-3.
Not everything has been doom and gloom for Peyton and the Indians, however.
A couple of players have caught his eye.
“There have been a couple of bright spots on the season so far,” Peyton said. “Cordarious Brown had nine strikeouts against Vicksburg. A quiet, little young man named D.D. Rogers that I did not know before this year has been playing solid defense in the outfield. D.D. comes and never says a word. I put him out there and he does his job. I was expecting him to be one of the weaker ones in the outfield because of his lack of playing experience, but he has been playing like a seasoned veteran.”
Peyton said he wants his players to be better on and off the field because that is the path to success.
“We probably have enough talent to compete in our district for a district title, but it will not happen if players don’t commit to the team concept,” Peyton said. “We need the all-in approach from this point forward if we want to turn the season around. Everyone has to pull their load.”
The Indians will return to the field on Saturday when the travel to Canton Academy.
The first pitch is set for noon.
On Friday, the Indians will host their first game of the season, assuming the weather holds.
Peyton hopes that people will come check out all of the hard work that has been put into the program.
“Former teammates and players have donated me helmets, pants, socks, a pitching rubber, a home plate, and other things,” Peyton said. “I was also able to purchase wind screens, banners, and other need things to get this field to back where it was before. Please come take a look at it on March 9. We will be hosting Clarksdale for our first district contest and first home game. I thank all the people that helped me get this facility back together.”
