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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/7/2021

Cohesiveness Drives Georgia Jackets

Matthew Welsh     
Photo: Dylan Lonergan (Perfect Game)
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Georgia Jackets 16u is yet again poised to claim their name among the nation’s top teams this summer. Fueled by a deep roster with highly-ranked prospects and players with determination that rivals any squad in America, the Jackets are a force to be reckoned with.
 
Since October of 2020, the Jackets are 10-2 and 2-1 against major ranked teams. Their 30-man roster lists a total of five current Division-I commits, with more certain to come. Eleven on the roster are ranked within the top-500 players of the 2023 class, per Perfect Game’s player ranking composite. 
 
An additional three fall in the top-1000 players, and all but seven of the team’s players are listed as some kind of ranking above the ‘follow’ status. Not many teams in the country can rival the potential lineup that the Jackets can field in any given game. 
 
Several of those big names include outfielder Cade Belyeu (Auburn commit), catcher/first Brooks Bryan (Troy commit), left-handed pitcher Jansen Kenty (Alabama commit), right-handed pitcher Jake Lankie (Georgia commit) and shortstop Nicolas Senese (Georgia Tech commit). Lanky and Kenty are ranked No. 29 and No. 108, respectively, in the nation. 
 
But along with these leaders are many other talented players yet to sign to a college program. Among them are some of the other highest ranked players on the team. Right-handed pitcher Dylan Lonergan is the No. 12 player in the class and the No. 2 righty in the state of Georgia. Outfielder Justice Haynes complements Lonergan’s mound dominance with a speedy outfield presence. Haynes is the fourth-ranked outfielder in the class. 
 
Notably, both are uncommitted, and also dual athletes in baseball and football, with aspirations to play both sports at the next level. This summer provides a perfect chance for them to showcase their diamond capabilities. 
 
“For me [my strength] is definitely on the mound,” said Lonergan. “I feel like I can do pretty much whatever I want on the mound. It just takes a lot of hard work during the week and arm work, and also working out pretty much every day.”
 
Lonergan was quick to credit his teammates as integral to not only his personal success, but also in helping the squad grow as a whole. After all, the Jackets also possess some exceptionally-adept position players. 
 
“I just feel like no one can stop me, and I feel like that’s how you have to think,” Lonergan said. “But as a team, we just have been together for about three years now, so it’s really beginning to come together for us.”
 
Haynes echoed his teammate in his desire to perform both on and off the field. Haynes, named a 2021 Preseason Underclass All-American, went 2-for-3 in the Jackets’ 7-0 win Sunday afternoon in the Southeast Elite Championship. He also made several gliding plays in the outfield to track down would-be hits.
 
“My strengths personally, I’m an all-around hitter, I can hit to all parts of the field, as well as my speed personally,” said Haynes. “But us as a team, we come together, we play hard, and we just come out here and compete.”
 
That inter-squad connections seemed an apparent trend both when talking to players and when examining the fluidity of the Jackets’ movements on the field. Defensively, the infield and outfield are cohesive and in the batter’s box each player shared a similar approach. 
 
No doubt that mentality helps give the squad energy and motivation. 
 
“It’s a brotherhood,” Haynes said.  “We’re really close to each other, and we just continue to go out and fight for our brothers and compete like we know we can. We don’t want to lose a game. We just go out every day, give it our all and go out and compete.”
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