Is JGISD planning on playing baseball?

This srpring a group of local residents attended the Jayton-Girard Independent School District board meetings to give public comment on the possibility of Jayton fielding a baseball team in UIL 1A high school athletics.

Last week a group of Jayton citizens posted a PowerPoint on Facebook outlining some of the opportunities available to JGISD should the school district choose to play baseball, and solicited input from the community on the topic. Facilities is an open question, and the community group noted on Facebook that Jayton could be the visiting team, if necessary, for all games in its opening year.

Tiffany Ham, a Jayton parent of a rising high schooler, began the process of galvanizing those interested in Jayton adding baseball in February. She said the impetus for adding baseball came because a group of boys who will be freshman and going into high school, who have been playing baseball together since they were toddlers playing T-Ball, are now facing an end to their baseball playing days.

Ham decided to see what she could do to help them continue the opportunity to play the sport in school.

“I started with a survey in February and 100 members of the community said they were interested and 25 students said they would support it,” she said. Ham said that since then she had spoken at a school board meetings in March, April and May. “The last meeting we had in May had about 50 people show up,” she said.

“We have the numbers,” said Ham. “The coaches want it. In fact, our principal was a baseball coach at Nazareth. Everyone who has said they would help with it are willing to do it with no extra stipend.”

Ham noted that the biggest obstacle that baseball advocates are facing is that the school district is operating in a budget deficit. She countered that by saying, “The only way to get out of the deficit is by adding students, and baseball will attract students because no one around here plays baseball. Spur doesn’t.

Patton Springs doesn’t. Guthrie Aspermont doesn’t. (Aspermont plays girls softball.)

In addition to the obstacle of operating in a budget deficit, Ham said that some have raised Title IX (gender equity) concerns about adding baseball. She said that her research revealed 79 1A schools that are not in compliance with Title IX. If someone were to raise a concern, she said, the school would need to add a comparable sport for the other gender. Some schools aren’t in compliance because they play volleyball and not football.”

“The parents are behind this,” said Ham. “These are the same parents who rebuilt a Little League program from scratch after it had kind of died off.”

So, is momentum growing for Jayton to play baseball?

No action has been taken yet, but according to JGISD superintendent Layne Sheets, “We’re not going to put this decision off. There are schools that takes years to make a decision like this. We’re not going to do that. The board is looking in it.”

Sheets said, “There are people on both sides and there are pros and cons. We appreciate anytime people want to offer suggestions to make our programs better.” He said a decision could come as early as the June board meeting.

The superintendent noted that should the school board decide to vote for baseball, there’s still a lot of process and procedure to follow, including finding a district. “You can see if someone will let you into their district, or if you can’t find a district, you can still play ‘outlaw’ and be scheduled in games, but you just wouldn’t be in a district. Then, in spring of ’23, when realignment occurs, you’d be placed in a district,” he said.

As for facilities, Sheets remarked that one option to start would be the Kent County public ballfield, but that it would need some modifications. A potential coach has not been identified, though according to Sheets some existing staff would be open to coaching if needed.

The school superintendent said that no one has put a figure to the costs for baseball yet, but that the 1A school should be able to field a team of nine, drawing from 9th through 12th grades.

He also indicated that discussions are being held about a softball team for female student-athletes as well.

Nearby small West Texas 1A schools have excelled in baseball and softball. Hermleigh is headed for the state championship in softball next week after defeating Eula.

Baseball will be on the JGISD school board agenda of June 27 at 7 p.m.