There were a lot of seniors responsible for West Marion’s south state run this season, but center fielder Josh Boone was just as important as a sophomore and earned The Columbian-Progress Breakout Star of the Year.
The lanky outfielder and leadoff man for the Trojans was in shock at the news and said it’s crazy he was selected as the player with the best breakout season.
“I wasn’t expecting to get this award, like, I put all the work into it. It’s just crazy that it pays off,” he said.
Boone set the table for West Marion with a .350 average (a 63-point jump from .287 as a freshman), .448 on-base percentage, 21 steals and 38 runs scored in 2019. He walked as many times as he struck out (12), scattered 36 hits in 32 starts and took away countless extra-base hits with his plus range in the outfield.
Trojans head coach Derrick Jerkins said the first thing he noticed about Boone at West Marion’s back to school event in August was that he had grown three to four inches up to 6-foot. He added that Boone’s physical maturation helped him out a lot, and he believes it’s only the beginning.
“His dad and his brother are 6-3, 6-4 men so I think he’s going to continue to grow. The biggest thing this year was that physical maturity, how much bigger he was able to get from his eighth-grade and ninth-grade year to his sophomore year,” he explained. “And he works hard. He had a good fall in the weight room and got a lot bigger and stronger. That played a major part.”
Both Jerkins and Boone said his brother, Jacob, who starred at West Marion before playing at East Central Community College, helped out the center fielder a lot.
“His brother had been able to come back home on the weekends and work with him and talk to him about what he’s seeing at East Central,” Jerkins said.
Boone said absorbing all the information from the help he received made a big impact.
“My brother helped me with my swing a lot this year and that was good. (Robert) Marzoni, our new coach, really helped with the mental aspects of the game,” he said. “The physical aspect wasn’t really a problem. It was just that mental aspect that kind of held me back, and he helped me with that.”
Jerkins said when Shelby Terrell pitched the Trojans were able to deploy their best defense with Boone in center field and that there was a comfort in knowing that Boone was able to track down balls in the gap and limit extra bases. Boone also would move to shortstop when Jayden Duncan took the mound.
While he’s already a key contributor at the top of the lineup and as a rangy center fielder, Jerkins said he believes Boone’s fastball is going to pick up on the mound and allow him to become a trusted member of the rotation as a junior next season.
Boone made five appearances out of the bullpen this season with a 3.65 ERA in 7 2/3 innings.
“I think he’s going to continue to grow, and I would say next year he will probably be another two inches taller,” he said.
“The next step I see is for his fastball velo to jump. I think he’ll be a guy that’s going to have to help us one way or the other on the mound.”
Pictured Above: West Marion's Josh Boone makes a running catch in center field in the south state championship. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
