GIANTS EXTRA SACCO: Craig breaks his funk

What were you planning on thinking? Something along the lines of David Blaine, done proving to the world how big of a tool he is by taking six hours to lick himself out of a block of frozen salsa, decided to come to the River City, wave his hands and make Josh Craig’s bat go “poof” and disappear into thin air?
What? Did you imagine some mad-as-all-get-up Southern Valley coach, still holding a grudge over the senior’s timely hitting during the regular season and district tournament, overnighted his Little Giants’ first baseman voodoo doll to Region III?
Seriously? Whatever.
Pins can help you sew that button back onto your pants and magic tricks might be a hit with the ladies, but Craig’s bat turned south on the RBI Highway thanks to the wear and tear of a season. Normal? Sure.
But this ain’t The Show. And while million-dollar ego trips can slump for a four-game stretch and not bat an eye during a 162-game season, most tend to notice when a multi-game hiccup takes place during a 25-course high school meal.
That’s why Craig was down on himself Monday at Waynesboro baseball practice. That’s why the polite-to-the-press senior (always a “Yes, sir,” with this kid) wore his self confidence so low you’d have to buy a butter knife to scrape it off the KC infield.
During the Region III tournament, the days of the one you all call “Hammy” doubling against Turner Ashby and getting that choo-choo train chugging in an improbable come-from-behind district-clinching win over Fort Defiance seemed long gone.
And Craig knew it. And wondered with you.
“What the heck happened?”
“I don’t got much confidence in myself,” Craig said. “I got to get my confidence back. I got to do better than I did in regionals. I got to hit in key situations.”
Tuesday’s two-RBI double in the Giants’ 6-2 win over Abingdon – a win that propelled Waynesboro to its second straight trip to Virginia’s best ball park and the Group AA Final Four – probably qualifies. If driving in two runs to break open a tie ball game in the third isn’t worthy enough to win this award, then recommend a better one.
The Giants never looked back after Craig’s hit, the choo-choo train got rolling and a Falcons’ team that scored 32 runs on 37 hits during the Region IV tourney – including beating a Hidden Valley team heralded as the Second Coming which couldn’t manage to get out of the first round of states – was grounded four innings later.
Maybe it was the move coach Jim Critzer pulled Tuesday, flip-flopping Craig to the No. 6 hole and putting Jeremy Hahn at the No. 4 slot. Or maybe it was the continuation of Waynesboro’s bottom of the order evolving, once again, into three batters that can stab a team just as mortally as the top five.
Eric Hall slapped two hits Tuesday in a return to his Mr. Clutch form and Will Freeman’s off-the-mat tear continues. The Group AA semifinal reappearance of Craig’s bat makes the lineup as dangerous as the other three left playing.
The return of Craig’s confidence could make all the difference in the world.
“When Hall’s hitting, when Craig’s hitting,” Critzer said, “and the bottom of the lineup is going, we got as good a chance as anybody.”
This wasn’t magic. It was Craig taking batting practice before leaving for Abingdon on Tuesday and knocking two balls out of the KC.
“After that, he said ‘I’m done, coach’ “ Critzer said.
Nah, Craig wasn’t close to being done that day.