Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — When Alex Boles toes the rubber, opponents know they’re in for a dogfight.
CREDIT: Cory Hall/SOSA
Waverly’s senior ace has — again — been magnificent this season, mowing down lineups with relative ease. When you throw in his explosiveness at the dish, you get a resume that should garner All-Ohio looks by season’s end.
Boles will enter postseason play with a 1.04 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 55 innings on the hill. He’s hitting .360 with 10 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 15 walks and a .524 on-base percentage.
Numbers have never, and will never, lie. But those numbers also don’t just create themselves.
“The key to my success would mainly be my mentality and the work I put in outside of the diamond,” Boles said. “I spend my days outside of games in the cages, on the tee, and on the mound for touch and feel work.”
Boles’ work ethic has powered the Tigers to a 17-7 campaign alongside a 12-4 mark inside Southern Ohio Conference II play — one of the toughest conferences to compete in on a nightly basis in the state.
For perspective, the SOC II’s top six teams has nine or more league wins. There’s never an “off” day.
“Playing in the SOC II on a daily basis is a tough challenge,” Boles said. “Being Waverly, we’ve always had a target on our back. So day in and day out, we see everyone’s ace. The competition is always good in the SOC II and it’s always a competitive game to watch.”
And it’s made Boles and his teammates better.
It’s a group that’s still learning about each other and, while that happens, developing leadership from within.
“My favorite part about this year’s team would have to be the connection we all have,” Boles said. “Many people on the team didn’t grow up with each other, including me. So this connection we have as a team is my favorite part. This team differs from prior years and teams I’ve been on in the past, solely because of leadership. We have developed leaders through the season, not only Peyton [Harris] and I being the only seniors, but also some some juniors have stepped up to be leaders, including Jase [Hurd] and LT [Jordan].”
Leadership comes from experience. Boles has started since he was a freshman, so it isn’t something he lacks.
He’s a been at the center of three competitive teams in four years — his sophomore season was nixed because of COVID. Had he been able to play that season, his career numbers may have been historic.
“I feel my best trait as a player is being able to portray all my knowledge to help out others in any way I can,” Boles said. “Being able to teach others and show them how stuff can be done a different way is something I’ve developed over years of failure. But with failure comes success, so I don’t see failure as failure necessarily. It’s more like a learning experience. The hardest thing I had to grasp as a player is that failure is inevitable and that’s all baseball is; a game of failure. Once you grasp that, you’ll have the upper hand.”
Some of Boles’ baseball knowledge comes from playing the game and a ton more comes from Waverly head coach and Hall of Famer Jeff Noble.
Noble recently broke the school’s coaching record with his 387th victory as the Tigers’ skipper. All in all, he’s nailed down over 400 wins in his coaching career.
CREDIT: Renee Nemeth/SOSA
He’s forgotten more about baseball than most have ever known.
Be he’s not just a coach. He’s a father figure, a mentor, a role model … and that list could go on and on.
“Coach Noble has done numerous things for me and the team, and for us as young men,” Boles said. “He’s like a second dad to me and he never ceases to make the most out of any moment, good or bad. He wants the best for us at any given time and takes time out of his day to benefit us in any way, rather that be field work on his own or jotting down different workouts or exercises for us to get better. There will never be another coach that will dedicate as much time, effort, and love as coach Noble has throughout his years.”
Noble’s crew is currently preparing for its first postseason contest. Waverly will be hosting Warren in a Division II sectional semifinal at 5 p.m., Monday.
With Boles leading the way, the Tigers are hoping to prolong the end of their season as long as they can.
“The plan this postseason is to overcome all the adversity we have had this season and apply all the work to game time,” Boles said. “Over the course of the season, coach Noble has made a point that will stick with me forever and it’s to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. If you’re never honest with yourself, you’ll never know how to change for the better or overcome your weaknesses. We’ve all done that through the season. Win or lose, we achieve the glory or lose as a family. We’ll all take this season and apply all the lessons to our life after this season for the better.”
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