MANSFIELD — There isn’t much Jeff Vulgamore can’t do and, as far as Mansfield Christian coach Roger Dials is concerned, the senior does it all well.
A four-year starter and one of just three seniors on the MCS roster, Vulgamore has been asked to do a little bit of everything this spring. He pitches, he catches, he plays third base and the outfield.
“Wherever I’m needed, I’ll play,” Vulgamore said. “It has been like that my entire career.”
So does the Richland Source Athlete of the Week have a favorite position?
“I think I like catching best,” said the 6-foot, 175-pound Vulgamore. “I like throwing guys out.”
Dials think his senior standout’s best position is behind the plate.
“He’s very good back there,” Dials said. “He is in control and he calls a good game.”
No matter where he plays in the field, Vulgamore hits. Oh, does he hit.
During a recent four-game stretch, Vulgamore batted .600 with a double, a home run, four runs batted in, five stolen bases and 10 runs scored. In nine innings pitched, he had a win, a save, 12 strikeouts and a 1.55 earned run average as the Flames picked up wins over Lucas, St. Peter’s, Canton Heritage Christian and Danville.
“He has been doing it for us for the past four years,” said Dials, whose Flames dipped to 4-14 after a loss to Fredericktown on Tuesday. “Earlier in his career he was up-and-down, but this year he has been more consistent. I think he is a little more focused.
“When he was younger, he was more of a power hitter. Now he hits for average. He is a line drive hitter.”
Vulgamore was hitting in the mid-.400s heading into the week. He did nothing to hurt his average with two more hits in Tuesday’s 10-6 loss to the state-ranked Freddies.
“This is as good as I have hit the ball during my career,” Vulgamore said. “Being a senior, there is a greater sense of urgency.”
Fellow seniors Chris Vealey and Nick Cope share Vulgamore’s sense of urgency. Vealey is one of Richland County’s leading hitters and, like his classmates, Cope is hitting well above .400.
“There’s only three of us and we feel like it is our responsibility to be leaders for the younger guys,” Vulgamore said. “Those guys are both having great seasons.”
Aside from Vulgamore, Vealey and Cope, the Flames are inexperienced. Dials regularly plays six sophomore with his three seniors and their youth sometimes shows.
“We hit the ball well, but we are probably averaging four or five errors a game,” Dials said. “We will lose a game 12-11 or 9-8. We’re not a 3-2 ball club.
“We have five one-run losses this season. Our record is not great, but we are a few runs away from being a .500 team.”
The Flames are 3-5 in the Mid Buckeye Conference heading into Thursday’s showdown against crosstown rival St. Peter’s. Having a conference championship to play for is something new for Vulgamore and the Flames.
“This is the first time in my career that we have been in a conference and it has adds a lot of excitement to the regular season,” Vulgamore said. “In the past we didn’t always have a lot to play for in the regular season. Now every regular season game is more meaningful.”
And, of course, the postseason is just around the corner. Mansfield Christian will play South Central in a Division IV sectional semifinal at noon Saturday.
“We haven’t had a lot of success in the tournament,” Vulgamore said. “Hopefully we will be playing our best when we get to the sectional.”
No matter what happens this weekend, things are looking up for Mansfield Christian. In addition to their new conference home, the Flames will finally have a home field next spring. Mansfield Christian has played its home games at Sterkel Park for the past few years but will move into their new park on Logan Road next year.
“We have a new field and there is a lot of interest in our program right now,” Dials said. “We’ve got about 50 kids in the program from top to bottom. It is continuing to grow, which is exciting.”
As for Vulgamore, he would like to find a place to play next year. He is still trying to find a college program to his liking.
“I’m not sure where I want to go or what I want to do,” he said. “I would like to continue my career in college. I’m still looking for a program that is a good fit.”
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
