PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — The final score wasn’t what Arnold wanted, but the legacy of its senior class was clear when the last out settled in a 10-6 loss to St. Augustine in the Class 4A regional quarterfinals.
“They’ve been here for a lot of great stuff and have been part of a lot of great things in this program,” head coach Chris Jones said. “The five seniors we had gave us everything we could possibly ask for and got us to this point.”
Arnold’s senior class — Connor McCann, Mason Laymon, Beau and Gage Williams and Billy Springmann — played a pivotal role in pushing the Marlins to the playoffs despite modest expectations entering the season.
“Outside of our program, there weren’t a lot of expectations for us this year,” Jones said. “I’m not sure people thought we’d be in the playoffs as a four seed, but they willed us to that. They made that happen.”
McCann and Laymon anchored the middle infield and set the tone throughout their careers.
“They were our leaders on and off the field, and offensively for two or three years,” Jones said. “They’ve been everything you could ask for in a couple of seniors.”
On the mound, Beau and Gage emerged as key contributors after limited roles a year ago.
“After throwing very few innings last year, they kept grinding and kept working,” Jones said. “We would not be here if it wasn’t for the contributions Beau and Gage Williams gave us on the mound. They carried us.”
Their commitment, he added, stood out in an era where players often look elsewhere.
“They stuck in there,” Jason said. “They didn’t hit the portal or go look for NIL deals. They stayed here and gave us everything we could have asked for.”
Springmann’s impact came less in game action and more in his approach.
“He didn’t get to play much this year, but his love for the game stands out,” Jones said. “He’ll stay after and hit — he might even stay after tonight and hit. To see that makes an old coach really happy and proud.”
The loss to St. Augustine was a difficult way to close their high school careers.
“They should leave here with their heads held high,” he said. “Looking back at it, they had a great season. We’re really going to miss them and their leadership.”
Bay County baseball playoff scores
Class 5A: Mosley 5, Columbia 2.
Mosley plays Niceville in a best-of-three regional semifinal.
Class 3A: Fernandina Beach 10, Bay High 0
Class 2A: Trinity Catholic 6, Bozeman 4
Adebanji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Mosley baseball advances as Arnold, Bozeman and Bay bow out in first round
Reporting by Adebanji Bamidele, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
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