BRISTOL, Va. – Jackson Gayle had experienced the postseason pressure cooker before.
After all, this is a dude who was the starting second baseman for the John Battle Trojans in the 2022 VHSL Class 2 state baseball finals.
Swinging a tennis racket instead of a baseball bat these days, Gayle had been integral to several close playoff wins already this spring and came through in the clutch once again on Friday.
Gayle won his singles match and also teamed with Brodie Ratliff to prevail in the match-clinching doubles duel as Battle posted a 5-3 victory over the Glenvar Highlanders in a VHSL Class 1/2 boys tennis state quarterfinal match.
The Trojans (12-3) knocked off the defending state champs and earned the right to face the Radford Bobcats on Monday at 11 a.m. in a state semifinal showdown on the campus of Virginia Tech.
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After knocking off Grundy and Marion by identical 5-4 scores to claim the Region 1D/2D tournament, Battle came out on the winning end of another thriller on Friday afternoon.
“It would not be one of our matches here lately if it didn’t come down to the last shot,” said first-year John Battle boss James Meadows. “We’ve probably averaged three to four tiebreakers it seems almost every match this season. That helps the nerves. They’ve become pros on those tiebreakers whether they want to be or not. … Amazing tennis all day.”
With the match deadlocked at 3-3 following the singles matches, Battle got it done in doubles with a couple of proven duos.
Seniors Will Crump and Connor Davidson – the lone holdovers from the Trojans’ 2022 state championship squad – dispatched Glenvar’s tandem of Liam Paxton and Logan Garner 6-2, 6-2 to give the Trojans the lead.
This is the third season of Crump and Davidson teaming up and it shows.
“We play really well together,” Davidson said. “Since we are good friends, it helps communication-wise.”
Meanwhile, Gayle and Ratliff have only been a pairing for a few months.
In fact, this is the first time Gayle has played tennis in a competitive setting.
“We played Virginia High the first match of the season and that wasn’t bad,” Gayle said. “Then we played Ridgeview for the first time and they gave me a shock. I lost in a tiebreaker in [singles in] what was my first real test. Practices have definitely helped me since then.”
How far has Gayle come since March?
“Oh, my goodness gracious – by far the most improved,” Meadows said. “That’s not a potshot to any other player. It’s been phenomenal to watch his improvements. He’s really worked to get better.”
Gayle gutted out a 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 win over Conner Wilkes at No. 3 singles, and soon thereafter he and Ratliff sealed the deal with a 6-1, 7-5 decision over Wilkes and Christian Hill.
Gayle and Ratliff kept their unbeaten record intact at No. 2 doubles after their well-earned triumph.
“The pressure was definitely there,” Ratliff said. “Jackson and I work really well together and we talk and move around. We just have good chemistry.”
Davidson and Ratliff also had singles victories as Battle was determined not to lose in the quarterfinals after that happened last season against Floyd County.
Glenvar on the other hand saw its state championship reign come to an end.
Logan Garner, Christian Hill and Adam Harvey earned singles wins for the Highlanders (13-7), who returned just two starters from their title team.
Two days before the Region 1C/2C tournament, top singles player Alec McIlwain of Glenvar suffered a broken collarbone.
It was too much for the squad from Salem to overcome against the Exit 7 crew.
“Two tiebreakers at the end,” said Glenvar coach Robert Haynie. “I think the boys battled tough and showed a lot of grit. Our season hasn’t gone the way we expected it to go with some injures at key points. But the name of the game is growth and I think the boys grew over the course of the season and I’m proud to be their coach.”
After foregoing his final season of high school baseball, Gayle was coaxed into playing tennis by Crump and it has turned out to be a wise decision.
He in turn recruited Caleb Lockhart to play for the Trojans and that rounded out the team’s roster.
Freshman Nalen Murthy has also won some important matches over the course of the season.
Then there was Meadows, who took over for the ultra-successful Tim Sholes as head coach and kept the team’s string of regional tournament dominance going. Sholes was among those in attendance on Friday.
Now, John Battle is back in the state semifinals thanks to a mix of those varsity veterans and notable newcomers.
“The new players have really helped and learned really quick,” Davidson said. “They’ve really pulled through this season.”
VHSL Class 1/2 Boys Tennis State Quarterfinals
Connor Davidson (JB) def. Liam Paxton, 6-1, 6-0; Logan Garner (G) def. Will Crump, 6-4, 6-3; Jackson Gayle (JB) def. Conner Wilkes, 6-4, 3-6, 10-8; Brodie Ratliff (JB) def. Elliot McClintic, 6-4, 6-4; Christian Hill (G) def. Caleb Lockhart, 7-5, 0-6, 10-6; Adam Harvey (G) def. Nalen Murthy, 6-1, 6-1.
Davidson-Crump (JB) def. Paxton-Garner, 6-2, 6-2; Gayle-Ratliff def. Wilkes-Hill, 6-1, 7-5.
