Hearn makes smooth move from PN-G to LC-M

[KFDM COOP]

Hearn makes smooth move from PN-G to LC-M

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

LITTLE CYPRESS — Growing up in the Port Neches-Groves area students are drilled from Day 1 about the importance of high school sports and the beloved Indian teams.

By the time a student’s junior year comes around, they are taught their blood is now purple.

Kris Hearn defied that logic this year in his senior year and has made the jump from PN-G to Little Cypress-Mauriceville and Bear baseball fans could not be any happier.

Hearn’s transition from one District 22-4A power to another has helped put the Bears in the position they find themselves in today.

At 7 p.m. tonight at Vidor Field, the Bears will face the Vidor Pirates and with a win LC-M will clinch the district championship. A LC-M victory will also spoil Vidor’s chances of clinching a playoff spot. A Bears’ win coupled with a Nederland Bulldogs’ win over Lumberton would force a tie between the Bulldogs and Pirates for the last remaining playoff spot.

For Hearn, he has just been excited to play at shortstop for the Bears and coaches Steve Griffith and Wayne Stephenson.

He has also enjoyed proving a lot of people wrong.

“It feels great to be in this position,†Hearn said. “This team has worked really hard for it and it feels good to be counted out before the season even started and now we are 11-2 in district and with a win at Vidor we are district champions.â€

Hearn played his former team twice this season splitting the games with the visitors winning on the other’s home field.

PN-G first went to Don Gibbens Field and the Indians walked away with a 4-2 victory in Hearn’s first match-up against his former teammates.

“The first game was pretty weird for me looking over and seeing those guys,†Hearn admitted. “I think I put too much pressure on myself that game and it showed. The second game I was more relaxed and it felt great to go out and get a win against my old team. “

Hearn was 0-for-5 the first time he faced the Indians but the Bears came back and defeated PN-G 5-4 at the Reservation in the second half of District 22-4A play.

Hearn, who is receiving attention from several junior colleges, has not only just played for Griffith this season, he has played well. He is the team’s leadoff batter and is batting .364 on the year with nine doubles, three home runs, 39 runs and a .509 on base percentage. He has scored 19 times in district play and is batting .333 in the district contests.

“There have been numerous games where he led the game off with a good hard shot and that gets our kids in the right state of mind,†Griffith said. “He continues to do that time and time again. Many times in these past games we have scored in the first inning and the statistics show the team that scores first wins the ball games. It gives your team and a spark and he has certainly contributed to that.â€

When Hearn moved from PN-G to the LC-M school district he was given a chance to play baseball just like every other student at the school.

“He was certainly good enough to make our team,†Griffith said. “Both academics and athletics have gone very well for him with the academics being the most important part. I am just glad to have him here and happy for his individual success and the team’s success.â€

One of the main contributor’s to Hearn’s easy transition to LC-M High School was Bears’ catcher Jake Rowell.

“I have played baseball with Jake for many years away from high school,†Hearn said. “He helped me a lot when I got here and being on the same team as him our senior years is excellent.â€

Griffith plugged the motto of “Surround yourself with good people and good things will happen,†when discussing the friendship between Hearn and Rowell.

“He surrounded himself with Jake when he got here and we can see the success,†Griffith said.

It also had to be asked if Hearn brought over any secrets about the PN-G baseball program when he crossed over.

“We never asked Kris for any of their signals or plays,†Griffith added quickly. “We don’t think that would be the right thing for our program to do.â€

The long-time LC-M coach for now has his eyes set on the Vidor Pirates and another Bears’ district championship.

Vidor downed LC-M 6-3 in the first round of district play after the Pirates scored five runs in the top of the second at Don Gibbens Field.

Hearn led the bottom of the first off with a home run and teammate Chad Richard added a homer in the bottom of the second. Hearn would score again in the bottom of the fourth after he singled and was drove in by Stefan Cloeren.

The Bears got eight hits in that contest while the Pirates picked up six of their own.

“It is going to be a packed house and an emotional game in Vidor,†Griffith said. “Our kids would like to win the district championship and theirs would like to win a playoff berth so both teams have something to fight for. It is going to come down to which team the emotion affects in a negative way the most.â€

[Monty Miller]

Good write up and well deserved ! I watched him the other night vs Lumberton and he is smooooth ! I was impressed that he bobbled the first or second grounder, then came right back and made play after play, good speed, good bat and good arm.

[Baseball 4 life]

Good write up and well deserved ! I watched him the other night vs Lumberton and he is smooooth ! I was impressed that he bobbled the first or second grounder, then came right back and made play after play, good speed, good bat and good arm.

I totally argree.

[move]Good Luck Kris Hearn and the rest of the LCM Bears in tonights game[/move]

[Roll_Left15]

Ol' Chick Hearn.....easily the best shortstop in the district.  Good luck to the Bears tonight.