This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Jason Olms Gets First Home Win as West Springfield Baseball Coach

Spartans jump out to 10-run lead over Annandale in support of dominant pitcher Connor Tagg

Jason Olms graduated from West Springfield in 1994.

And just like every district game 20 years ago, wins against Annandale are supremely important.

Patriot District wins are precious, and worth celebrating on their own merit.

Find out what's happening in Burkewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While Olms could have savored the Spartans’ 10-4 win on Tuesday night -- his first win as the head coach at Tugwell Yards -- he chose to focus instead on starting the Patriot District season with a win and moving to 3-0 in the young season.

The Spartans overmatched the Atoms from the start. Senior righty Connor Tagg struck out nine in five innings of two-hit, shutout ball. He was backed by key hits from classmates Donny Haeuptle and Dan Allen, who combined to drive in seven of the Spartans first eight runs – all in the first two innings.

Find out what's happening in Burkewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If the game had been played in 2011, it would have ended in the fifth inning with the Spartans ahead 10-0, but since it was a district contest, the game continued and Olms emptied his bench, replacing every starter in the sixth or seventh innings.

Tagg, who left after the fifth, said it was one of his best outings since a spring break tournament last year. Haeuptle, who drove in the game’s opening runs with a two-run double to right-center in the first, and followed that up with a two-run single between first and second in the second, said it was fun catching Tagg.

“He’s been fantastic the first two games. His four pitches were spot-on, hitting his spots,” Haeuptle said. “He was going after batters, not shying away.”

Tagg struck out the side in the second and then recorded five of six outs in the fourth and fifth via strikeout. He ended his night with two whiffs in a row and didn’t allow his first hit until there were two outs in the third.

“He definitely doesn’t walk anyone, he makes it easy on me,” said Haeuptle. “His command is great this year and his velocity’s up.”

Allen blasted a 3-run homer to left-center, highlighting the Spartans’ six-run second inning.

“With the new bats, there’s going to be a little less home runs this year,” he said. “But the sweet-spot is the sweet-spot. The ball’s still going to travel.”

Annandale scrambled for four runs in the seventh, three of which were charged to sophomore Blake Bird.

Olms, a member of a team that made the state tournament in both 1993 and 1994, said he is looking to lead the team back to that level this year, if possible. Playing in what he called the best district in Virginia, he knows that might not always be possible.

And that’s OK with Andy Muir, the student activities director.

“He wants to win state championships, but only one school does that each year,” said Muir in the first inning. “I know Jason’s going to put a good product out that represents the kids and the school. It could be a state championship, it could be a district final. But whatever it is, it’s not going to be through lack of effort.”

Muir said one key reason he chose Olms for the position was the support he received from parents outside of the West Springfield community.

“Parents from teams we’re going to play against wrote letters recommending Jason. And that’s something you don’t see very often,” he said. “That really shows what Jason is. I think he’s going to be a really good long-term coach here.”

Olms, who was an assistant under John James, the coach who led the Spartans to a state title in 2010, said the most emotional game so far came last week against Robinson, where James is now the coach and assistant DSA.

“I was really proud of how they handled themselves. It’s a testament to our seniors,” Olms said. “They’re very level-headed and business-like. We had a play at the plate and a guy ran over Donny. It was the first inning and I told them ‘calm down, don’t try to hit a home run every time up.’ We were actually down 1-0 in the sixth inning and scored six runs. It was good to see them keep plugging away and not worry about the results.”

James came over to talk with his former team after the game ended and the players had a chance to calm down.

“It was such a good situation for him to get the promotion,” Olms said of James’ move. “It was a no-brainer. It was bittersweet accepting the job, and he had a hard time leaving these guys because he’s been with them so long.”

“I like those kids a lot. I’ll be following them from a distance – no question,” said James, who noted that his top priority is Robinson.

For Olms, the chance to helm his old team was a dream come true. He said he can see himself retiring as the West Springfield baseball coach like Ron Tugwell, his former coach and the field’s namesake.

He recalled getting the phone call from Muir, offering the position.

“I was excited, really excited. The first thing I did was call my parents,” he said. “It was just a great moment to talk with them on the phone. They were really proud of me. I was kind of overcome with emotion.”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?