AtL Gastonia Ghost Peppers

Hoover's First Hit of Season Brings in Winning Runs for Gastonia; GBC Defeats SMD 4-2

Published on April 28, 2024 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Gastonia Ghost Peppers News Release


Jake Hoover started his season 0-for-4 at the plate and didn't start on Friday night. The following evening, the third baseman came through with two on and two out in the seventh.

Hoover's 69 mile-per-hour exit velocity single to shallow center plated a pair of runs and helped Gastonia beat Southern Maryland 4-2.

The double-leadoff speedster was sitting on a breaking ball from right-hander Kyle Arjona before the big knock.

"The pitch I swung at, the curveball down, was what I was looking for," Hoover said. "It ended up being a little further down than I wanted it to be, but the end scenario ended up scoring us some runs."

After struggling last season with Lancaster, Hoover's numbers improved significantly with Gastonia in the 45 games he played. Hoover hit .243 with a .672 OPS, adding in seven stolen bases in eight attempts.

As he said after the game, Hoover will "take anything I can get."

A strong attribute to the third baseman's game is his versatility on defense. Hoover started 23 games at short for Gastonia last year before Jack Reinheimer returned from his stint with AA Northwest Arkansas (KCR). He then shuffled to his left and manned the hot corner for the remaining 20 regular season games.

Hoover started in left field Thursday night, and went back to his regularly positioned third base on Saturday.

"Hopefully it means a lot," Hoover said about his defensive contributions. "I like to use my athleticism anywhere it takes. Wherever I can get my at-bats and help the team out. Whether it's center field, left, right, short, second, third, first. Not catching or pitching hopefully," he said with a laugh.

Hoover's single came in the bottom of the seventh during a 2-2 game; all previous runs coming via the long ball.

Southern Maryland had two hits all night, and both of them were solo shots off right-hander Brett Daniels.

Leadoff hitter Payton Eeles went yard to start off the fourth, becoming the first base runner for the Blue Crabs in the process. Shortstop Aaron Hill hit a deep drive over the center-field wall in the fifth frame to tie the game at 2.

Gastonia got the two runs on the board courtesy of Josh Stowers, who hammered a ball 403 feet to left into the Gaston County night. The fourth-inning blast was the second of the year for Stowers, who is tied with Justin Wylie for the team lead.

After Hoover's clutch hit sparked the Gastonia victory, the club improved to 2-1. Although the season is young, Hoover said the vibes remind him of last year's South Division Champion unit.

"Very similar. We got a bunch of good guys in the clubhouse. Everybody's getting along really well. We're playing good baseball right now, especially right off the get-go. I can see us winning a lot of games this year."

Gastonia and Southern Maryland will face off in the series finale on Sunday at 2 p.m.

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Atlantic League Stories from April 28, 2024


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