GAINESVILLE - On March 12, one month and two days after the season started with a 10-5 loss to Hebron Christian, Gainesville baseball found itself at 2-10, fresh off being swept by Roswell in its first Region 7-5A series of 2025, and staring down three games against Milton which had just taken two-of-three from the region's top team Johns Creek.

Since then, the Red Elephants are 6-2, have won three-straight region series, including the one against Milton and a walk-off last night against the region's top team Seckinger, and with six games left in 7-5A play are staring down an opportunity to finish as a top team in the region standings.

How did Big Red change the trajectory of their season? By changing up some numbers, but not the ones you think.

Gainesville baseball did not slipped into those 10 losses, instead earned them earnestly: the numbers telling the story. Through the first 12 games Gainesville averaged three runs per, and amassed just 59 (five per game) hits total in 293 at bats. The opportunities were there for batters as the 293 at bats aforementioned averaged out to 24 per game for the Red Elephants, but they were striking out a higher percentage (38% of at bats) than they were hitting (.201 average) or walking (13% of at bats).

Defensively, Gainesville gave up nine runs per while averaging as many errors in those 12 games as Red Elephant runs scored. GHS was given ample opportunity to flub as opponents were averaging nine hits per Gainesville outing. The silver lining was even marred for GHS as pitchers were striking out eight batters a game, but walking seven; and the latter combined with the nine hits per proved a recipe for a 2-10 disaster.

Over the last eight games, however, Gainesville has changed some key ingredients and in doing so come up with five-star recipe.

It's natural to think when a baseball team experiences a surge that it simply comes down to hitting. When the Red Elephants were losing they weren't hitting and now they are, right? No, Gainesville still isn't getting hits with just 53 in 211 at bats (.251 avg.), albeit the average is better than through the first 12. What Gainesville is doing is striking out less (27% of at bats) and walking less (18 percent of at bats), which means putting the ball in play and giving the opponents ample opportunity to flub. Gainesville is averaging six runs per game through the last eight in large part because they aren't striking out as much.

It's natural to think when a baseball team experiences a surge that it simply comes down to defense and pitching. When the Red Elephants were losing they were making more errors and giving up more runs, right? Yes, but it isn't that simple. Gainesville is only giving up two runs per over the last eight games compared to nine in the first 12. The runs-scored-against average is down in part because defensively GHS has gone from three errors a game to one, but much like what changed offensively to create the recent surge in production, there's something more nuanced at play.

Gainesville pitchers, notably starters Dawson Vaughn, Cohen Miller, and Daniel Rico, are still striking out about eight batters a game, that number wasn't the problem to begin with. What's changed in the last eight games and thus created change from the first 12 games are the number of hits allowed (down to five per game from nine) but more importantly, the number of ducks on the proverbial pond when those hits come. Red Elephant pitchers have walked an average of three batters per game since March 12 compared to the seven walked on average when they were 2-10.

Cohen Miller specifically has not walked a batter in his last two outings, both wins.

Gainesville returns to action Friday as the Red Elephants wrap up their series with Seckinger on the road.

PHOTO GALLERY: GHS vs. Seckinger (3/26/25)
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