The St. Aloysius Flashes haven’t been shy about taking one for the team this season.

The Flashes have been hit by 83 pitches this season, an average of nearly three per game. Ryno Martin-Nez leads the team with 13 plunkings, but seven of the 10 regular starters have been hit at least seven times apiece.

“If I see it coming at me, I’m not moving,” said catcher Sean Weaver, who has been hit 12 times. Three of those came in one game, all on his left elbow.

The repeated beanings are a result, in part, of the Flashes’ approach to hitting. Players are taught to crowd the plate to make the strike zone smaller for a pitcher. They’re also taught early on not to be afraid of the baseball by enduring the “wear it” drill. In the drill, coaches fire pitches at hitters’ arms and legs.

“If one was coming at you and you got out of the way, you ran,” Weaver said.

St. Al coach Clint Wilkerson said teaching his players how to take a pitch was an important — and successful — part of his team’s offensive approach. The Flashes are averaging almost 11 runs per game this season.

“It’s just a mindset thing. It’s another way to get on the bag. Another way to create chaos,” Wilkerson said. “It’s an attack mode we teach. Whether it’s wearing one, taking one in the ribcage or hitting a drive to the gap, those are all things we do in our minds offensively.”

Roving Rushing flashing the leather

Justin Rushing is usually a man on the move for the Flashes.

The junior infielder plays three positions — third base, second base and first base — on a regular basis, depending upon who’s pitching. The assignments can vary from game to game, or even inning to inning. Last week, in Game 3 of the South State championship series against Stringer, Rushing started at third base and moved to second when Pierson Waring came in to pitch in the fourth inning. Wilkerson held off on another pitching change later in the game that would have moved Rushing to first base.

“It’s tough. Remembering where you have to be on pickoffs, and all the little things you adjust to. But I’ve been doing it since eighth grade so it comes natural now,” Rushing said.

Wilkerson said the constant shuffling has turned Rushing into one of the team’s best fielders. In the Stringer series, he handled nine chances without an error.

Rushing is also swinging the bat well of late. His season average is just .262, but in the South State finals he reached base six times in 11 plate appearances and scored four runs.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, he has the best glove on our baseball team. Nobody flashes the leather like he does. He can play anywhere on the field. He can even play left field if we needed him to,” Wilkerson said. “He’s saved us a lot of runs with his defense.”

Indoor facility a big help for St. Al

St. Aloysius has had a secret weapon aiding its run to the Class 1A finals — the old Raworth YMCA.

The building on Halls Ferry Road hasn’t been used by the YMCA a lot since the organization’s new building on East Clay Street opened in 2002. Wilkerson got permission to use the Raworth Y in 2008 and turned its gym into an indoor practice facility. A batting cage, wooden bullpen mound, and three hitting stations are scattered around the gym.

“We were in dire need of one. Before we built one ourselves, we checked around and found this place,” Wilkerson said. “The Y was gracious enough to let us use this. It’s been a blessing.”

Far from just a refuge when the weather turns bad, the Flashes have used the indoor facility as a regular part of their practice routine. The team works on its swing there in the offseason, and about once a week when the season begins, Wilkerson said. The gym, which has a rubberized floor, is also big enough to take grounders when all of the hitting stations are cleaned up.

“A lot of the things we do offensively start in here,” Wilkerson said on Monday. “You don’t miss a beat. We could be outside today, but we’re in here because of the things we work on offensively. Some days you need to do nothing but take cuts. It’s easy for us to come in here and take 300 cuts in a day.”

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com