AISA BASEBALL: Boroff, Macon East closing on goal of state title

Catcher Jabe Boroff, coach Bob Pickett and the Macon East Knights are one step away from a berth in the Class AA state championship serles. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

CECIL -- Jabe Boroff got on base four times in a quarterfinal playoff series with Southern Academy and had an RBI single, but that’s almost a disappointment these days for the Macon East Academy catcher. 

“It was a good night, we won, but it was a little difficult going 1 for 4 at the plate,” he said.

Last year, he would have been proud of the performance, but this year the junior is batting .564 with 50 RBIs in 94 at-bats, along with 13 doubles, five home runs and just nine strikeouts this season. 

“Last year, I batted about .385 and I worked really hard on hitting and just making solid contact with the ball,” he said. “That was definitely one thing I’ve gotten a lot better at this year. 

“We pride ourselves on being a team that will stand up there and take pitches, get hit by pitches and get on base any way that we can. We really pride ourselves more with on-base percentage than batting average.”  

And his on-base percentage is a phenomenal .667, while Macon East as a team has an on-base percentage of .510. It’s a primary reason the Knights are 31-4 this season as they entertain Wilcox Academy in a best-of-three semifinal series at home with a doubleheader on Wednesday at 5 p.m. A third game, if necessary, will be played on Thursday.

Boroff is a three-year starter for the Knights, but played the 2020 season at shortstop, moving to catcher last year. 

“I was a catcher when I was younger but I had stopped doing it for three years,” Boroff said. “But we needed a catcher after the senior graduated so he put me back there and I was pretty good. That’s definitely my main position now. I feel really comfortable back there all the time.”

Macon East coach Bob Pickett split the catching duties between Luke Noffsinger and Boroff last year, but feels confident with Boroff behind the plate this season. 

“He was a shortstop until last year,” Pickett said. “His best position might be third base, but he’s got the POP (time from home plate to second base) colleges want, he can hit for average, his exit velo off the bat is like 103 (miles per hour), but his 60 (yard dash) time isn’t great. I told him if you move behind the plate, that time isn’t going to matter as much. And he gets better and better back there every day.

“He’s got some pop at the plate. Colleges see that part, but he had to grow up and mature a little bit, take a better approach at the plate and he’s done that. I’ve been very, very proud of that. He’s done the same thing in the classroom. He played it and had a lot of talent but really didn’t mature into it. Now, he’s made a 4.0 all year in the classroom, he’s a leader out here on the field.”

Noffsinger said it’s almost like seeing a different person behind the plate this season. 

“Jabe, since I’ve known him here at Macon, has blown up,” he said. “His arm velo and exit velo off the bat and his ability to hit the ball is insane. Something I’ve enjoyed getting to watch is seeing him mature as a ball player and pick up that leadership role. Catching, I feel like, you have to command the field behind the plate and seeing him pick that up -- learning the game that way but also learning the leadership role -- is something that’s really cool.”

Last year, the Knights reached the semifinals, only to suffer a stunning setback in the third game to Autauga Academy, who went on to win the AA title. The Knights hope that they, like their star catcher, are better suited for a playoff run this season. 

“Last year we had really high hopes and started off the playoffs really well,” Boroff said. “I think this year we have a lot more confidence and a lot more pitching, so everyone is really fired up to get back out there and hopefully win it all.”

AISA BASEBALL SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS

Here are the pairings for the semifinals of the Alabama Independent School Association state baseball playoffs in A-AAA. All series open on Wednesday with a doubleheader. A third game in the best-of-three series, if necessary, will be played on Thursday. The winners advance to the finals at Montgomery’s Paterson Field the following week. RIVER REGION TEAMS IN BOLD.

CLASS AAA

Morgan Academy at Glenwood School

Bessemer Academy at Pike Liberal Arts

CLASS AA

Wilcox Academy at Macon East Academy  

Patrician Academy at Autauga Academy  

CLASS A

Coosa Valley Academy at Abbeville Christian 

Pickens Academy at Jackson Academy