MA honors senior baseball players

It wasn't the typical Senior Night. But it was a special one ­ perhaps more special than any before it.

Bruce Branch, head baseball coach at Marshall Academy, honored his two seniors Thursday night. Darian Houston and Brayden Daughtry saw their final season at Marshall cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At an otherwise empty ball park, Senior Night also included their parents, keeping the on-the-field gathering to less than 10.

Branch said it was an emotional time together.

"Not being able to finish the season, it didn't really hit me until I saw the parents last night," he said. "My heart broke. It was hard for me to hold up.

"It wasn't the ideal Senior Night, but it was important for me, for these guys and for this team to have some closure.

"To be on the field together one last time, it meant a lot to me, to them and to their parents. And it's definitely something we owed them.

"It gave me a sense of closure, and I needed that as a coach ­ it gave me some peace of mind."

Houston, a middle infielder, has attended Marshall Academy three years.

He recently signed to play baseball for Northeast Mississippi Community College.

"It's tough," he said about not being able to complete his senior season. "But I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to go and play at college. It's not the last time I get to play."

Houston said the move to Marshall in the 10th grade was a good one.

"I love Marshall," he said. "It's a great school. I love all the teachers; they've all helped me so much, a lot of one-on-one help."

He said Coach Branch is a "great coach."

"I love Coach Branch," Houston said. "He will do anything for us.

"Still having a Senior Night, under these circumstances, meant a lot to me. It was my last time on the field ­ to see the coaching staff. And then to be able to share it with my mom and dad, that was great. I'm so thankful for everything my mom and dad have done for me."

He is the son of Brooks and Tiffany Houston. He plans to major in aircraft maintenance.

Daughtry, a first baseman and pitcher, has also been at MA three years.

He said not having the opportunity to finish his senior season on the diamond is "very hard."

"It just crushes you," Daughtry said. "But it will all be OK. I will still have the memories of the good times."

He said coming to Marshall in his 10th grade year was "the best decision I've ever made."

"I can think of nothing bad to say about Marshall," Daughtry said. "It's a great place."

He is the son of Brandon and LeighAnn Daughtry. He plans to attend Northwest Mississippi Community College and also major in aircraft maintenance.

Daughtry, too, said he loves Coach Branch.

"He will do anything for us," he said.

The Senior Night, which Branch organized, was special.

"Most coaches would not have cared enough to do anything like that for you," Daughtry said. "He wanted us to go out on that field one last time, and that meant a lot.

"Coach Branch, he really cares about you. He's a great coach."

Branch said both Houston and Daughtry bought in to the type baseball program he brought to Marshall when he arrived for their junior seasons.

"Both of them have really thrived on the field," he said.

Houston was one of the team's top hitters.

"He grew as a hitter," Branch said. "We worked on changing his approach at the plate. We stressed hitting to the opposite field, instead of just being a dead pull hitter, and it worked."

Defensively, he said Houston "is as special as he wants to be."

"He's blessed with a great arm and great hands.

"We moved him to second base, and it was a great fit."

He also asked Houston to play outfield some this season and "he did without any pushback."

"A lot of players would have been selfish and said they did not want to do that," Branch said.

He is excited about Houston's next step at Northeast.

"His future is bright," Branch said. "I believe he will shine at Northeast and grow. I've said all along that he's a diamond in the rough. He's getting into an excellent program, and I think he will blossom."

The coach said Daughtry stepped up big-time for the Patriots.

"He turned into an excellent hitter," Branch said. "He had some huge at-bats last year and this year.

"He really swung the bat well for us. He did a lot of good things at the plate."

He called Daughtry an Xfactor when it came to pitching.

"We needed him to step up for us on the mound, and he did that," Branch said. "He took the mound during some crucial situations, in a relief spot, and he came through."

But most of all, he said Houston and Daughtry provided leadership to an overall young baseball team.

"The leadership they showed was outstanding," he said. "They did all that I asked them to do. I told them that `it's not my team, this is your team.' And we grew as a team this season, and we were on the right track (prior to district games) because of their leadership.

"I will forever remember these two guys, not because of the circumstances, but for what they did for Marshall Academy while they were here."