Evans finds his role with the Bobcats

Published 2:15 pm Tuesday, April 3, 2018

MILLEDGEVILLE — The transition from playing a sport in high school to college isn’t always straightforward and smooth.

High school seniors accustomed to taking the field every day suddenly become seldom-used freshmen. Some are lucky enough to find a specific role where they can help contribute to the team’s success like John Milledge Academy alum Trevor Evans.

The JMA Class of ’17 graduate has found his role on the 2018 Georgia College baseball team as a true freshman less than a year after helping lead the Trojans to a state championship on the diamond. 

“I’m feeling good and it’s fun being out there,” Evans told The Union-Recorder in a Monday phone interview. “It’s completely different from high school ball. I’m getting to pitch a little bit, which is fun, but I’m also learning a lot from watching these older guys pitch. They help me out a lot because I’m the only freshman pitching that’s not redshirted, so watching them and being around the older guys is a big help. It’s supplied me with a whole lot of information I’ve never really had.”

Last year around this time Evans was in the middle of what would be an incredible season as a high school senior. The left-handed pitcher was a perfect 13-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA and ended up striking out well over one batter per inning pitched. He and the Trojans would go on to win the GISA AAA state championship, and after the season Evans was named the U-R All-County Baseball Player of the Year for 2017. 

The now-college freshman has had to transform from being the starting pitcher called upon whenever the Trojans needed a win to mainly being called out of the bullpen to throw against opposing left-handed batters for the Bobcats. Evans has made eight appearances this season and gotten just under 10 innings of work with a 3.72 ERA for the 24-7 Georgia College baseball team. The local lefty was most recently called upon over the weekend against Florida Tech to get a couple of left-handed batters out and was equal to the task as the Bobcats came away with the 8-3 win that secured a three-game sweep. 

But for Evans, finding his new role hasn’t been the only transition he’s had to make. He said he has had to change his mental approach to the game as well. Whereas in high school Evans says he would “just go out there and throw it,” facing college hitters takes a good deal of preparation and strategy to be successful. Hitting locations and knowing what pitch to expect the coach to call before he calls it are a couple of things Evans selected as where he needs to grow his game.

“Coach [Jason] Eller tells me every day that I have to be a student of the game,” Evans said. “I never really dove into baseball from the mental aspect like I have in college.”

Though Evans has mostly been tabbed as a matchup guy for the Bobcats, two of his appearances this season have actually come as the team’s starting pitcher. He was first called upon to start in the third game of the regular season at the University of West Georgia. The Bobcats would lose the ballgame 8-4, but when Evans was pulled it was tied at one run apiece in the third inning. 

“I didn’t get nervous,” he said of being called upon to make his first start. “I was more anxious than anything. If you prepare right there’s no need to be nervous. Going into the game I just didn’t really think about it too much. I kind of just went out and did my thing that I’ve done my whole life. My coaches prepared me well and I felt good on the mound when I got out there and threw. It was definitely a very cool experience to get my first college start.”

Another big highlight for Evans occurred Friday, March 9, against Peach Belt Conference (PBC) opponent Francis Marion. Georgia College ace starter Charlie Hecht had put together one of his many extraordinary performances this season and left the game with an 11-0 lead. Evans was brought in to pitch the final inning under the Friday night lights of John Kurtz Field. It wasn’t exactly a high-pressure situation from a scoring standpoint, but the freshman still wanted to keep Hecht’s shutout intact and did so after allowing just one hit in his inning worked.

“To me that was kind of cool, closing out a shutout conference game for our ace pitcher,” said Evans.

The defending PBC champion Bobcats are putting together another strong season in 2018. They sit atop the conference with a 16-2 record and have a home series scheduled against Lander University this weekend. 

“We’re having a good time out there,” Evans said. “We’re sitting at No. 1 in the conference so everything’s rolling smoothly playing-wise. We’re all playing together, and it’s been a fun ride so far.”