It had been a long time since Justin Young had toed a pitching rubber during game action. But on the big stage of a state championship game, he was more than up for the challenge.
“As a competitor, that’s exactly what you want. That’s exactly what I was hoping for, was the ball in the championship game,” Young said. “For my first time in a while, I did just as good as I could do, if not better.”
The 19-year-old lefty, who graduated from Hernando High in 2015, played for Polk City in the Dixie Baseball Majors (age 17-19) All-Stars State Tournament at Central two weeks ago. Despite the Polk City name, the team largely represented the travel ball Brooksville Bulldogs and consisted of many Hernando County players.
Young got the start and threw six innings, and also went 5-for-5 at the plate with five runs batted in as Polk City defeated Hernando Youth League, 13-4. The win advanced Polk City to the World Series, beginning Saturday in Ozark, Ala.
It’s the third year in a row that Young will play in a World Series at the Majors level, and it will represent his last chance to compete in Dixie play. He’d like to match his father, Brent Young, who won a World Series crown with the HYL Majors in 1983.
“It’s definitely making me want to get it a lot more being as I can’t go back and try again. I want to win one,” Young said. “That’d be great sharing something like that (with his father), bringing a title home. I’m betting there wouldn’t be a lot of father and sons with two World Series championships, especially in the same age group.”
This final all-star run comes under significantly different circumstances, however. In the previous two years, he was coming off strong prep campaigns with the Leopards, hitting .341 with four homers and 30 RBI as a junior and .434 with eight dingers and 34 runs driven in as a senior.
That earned him an opportunity to play for Hillsborough Community College – or so he thought. A coaching change led to him redshirting this spring. He’s transferring to NAIA Thomas University in Georgia, ready to return to the field.
Unable to play collegiately, he has spent the past year working out and maintaining his conditioning.
“At first it was pretty tough, but I got over it,” Young said. “It just drives you a little bit more. It gets you ready to shut people up.”
Joining the Polk City squad for states marked his first time in a truly competitive situation in roughly a year. He didn’t exactly show it, going 3-for-3 with a walk in the opening game. Playing regularly in right field, he went 10-for-16 in the tournament, hitting at a spectacular .625 clip.
“It felt like I was where I was meant to be,” Young said. “It was weird getting back at first, not knowing if I’d pick up where I left off. I felt I did pretty good.”
Meanwhile, he was gearing up mentally to pitch. He had actually anticipated his return to the mound in the previous game, but head coach Bruce Price held him off until the final. The first two batters Young faced drilled a pair of line drives, one that was caught, followed by a two-run home run.
From there he settled in, and the bats came to life to back him up. He struck out seven before giving way to the bullpen for the seventh.
“The conditioning was there. It was just whether or not I’d be able to perform. It took me three batters to shake off the rust, but I found it,” Young said. “It was just command, adding and subtracting speed, and location.”
As for his hitting prowess out of the second spot in the lineup, he attributed much of that to hard work.
“All the hitting I’ve been doing, batting practice in the cages, working on my swing,” Young said. “I was surprised when I faced live pitching, I was seeing the laces on the ball. That told me I was picking it up real early.
“It also helps that I had a lot of good hitters hitting behind me. Not that I was seeing a lot of good strikes, but I couldn’t get walked, either.”
Heading into the World Series, Young believes the experience of the Polk City crew should help it stand up to the rugged competition. After his team went 2-2 in the World Series last season, he said anything short of a championship will be considered a failure.
At some point, he’ll probably be asked to take the mound once again. Just like last time, he’ll approach the task undaunted.
“I’m really not changing anything. Once you start trying to do too much, that’s when your performance goes down,” Young said. “I don’t know when it’ll be (that he pitches), but I’m ready to get it.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.