He inches off first base as his teammates in the dugout nod knowingly to each other, certain about what is to happen next.
McLean senior Kyle Meagher extends his lead, waits until the pitcher commits himself to home plate and takes off, easily beating the throw to second base. How can his teammates be so confident in Meagher? Well, almost no one has stopped him yet.
Meagher epitomizes a Highlanders team that takes aggression on the basepaths to a whole new level. In two games at the W.T. Woodson Spring Break Classic at South Lakes on Wednesday, Meagher was at it again, stealing five bases in a doubleheader sweep of Yorktown, 6-2, and Annandale, 13-3.
The surprising Highlanders improved to 8-3 after winning four of their five games in the tournament, which does not have a championship game. Add in a season-opening win over rival Langley, one of the Liberty District’s preseason favorites, and one-run losses to contenders Madison and Stone Bridge and it’s clear McLean wants to take a step up from last year’s 13-7 team that reached the district semifinals.
“Some people might be surprised about how well we’re playing. But I think we expected this from ourselves,” Meagher said. “We knew what kind of team we had coming back.”
Against Annandale, Meagher beat out two infield hits, stole three bases and scored three runs. He also drove in a run with a single in the fifth inning and reached base in all four at-bats during the mercy-rule shortened contest. He has stolen 24 bases and been caught just once — and that came at home plate when the defense cut off a pickoff attempt intended for second base.
“He’s a great guy to have in front of you in the lineup,” said McLean junior Andrew Stowe, who was 4-for-4 with three doubles and three RBI against the Atoms. “Every time Kyle gets on base we feel like it’s a sure RBI because he’s going to get to second.”
Off to the races
» McLean senior Kyle Meagher wasn’t the only Highlander on a stolen-base tear. McLean recorded eight stolen bases in the game.
» Annandale dropped to 6-4 with the loss, but had a solid showing at the tournament with three wins in five games.
