SALEM, N.H. — The time to cook is now.
The Windham Jaguars know that. and so does senior two-year captain Paul Armstrong.
The Jags, now 6-3, polished off a solid 2-1 week, with a 7-1 thumping of Salem on Friday afternoon.
And Armstrong? Well, let’s just say the Windham senior is starting to simmer. With his 2 for 4 on Friday, Armstrong finished the week at a cool 7 for 10 with six runs scored and three RBIs.
“I had a little slow start, issues with timing or whatever,” admitted Armstrong.
“You just always have to go to the plate with the mentality that you’re always hot, never cold, that you’re the best one out there. I’ve ridden that throughout my whole career. and things are getting hot for me right now.”
The approach is simple, not convoluted. Armstrong tries hard to avoid the minutiae.
“I try my best not to look at numbers, whether I go 0 for 4 or 4 for 4,” he said. “I just try to base it off how my at-bats are and how I am hitting the ball. Ignore the numbers. You could be having the best at-bats of your life, the best hits and still go 0 for 10. I just try my best not to think about it.”
It’s no coincidence that Armstrong catching fire coincides with a nice little surge by the Jaguars. A three-year starter in the outfield, he dictates how the offense goes from the leadoff spot.
Of course, Friday was a perfect example with a base hit that ignited the four-run Windham first.
Armstrong likes the way his club is playing right now.
“A great week. You know, a slow start with the tough loss at Timberlane on Monday, but we came through got a win on Wednesday and another one today,” he said. “Team-wise, I think it’s been great. We’re 6-3, and we could just as easily be 8-1 — a few mistakes, things that didn’t go our way. The team is riding high right now. We’re looking forward to the next few weeks coming up, and to finish the season off strong.”
Armstrong will head to another winning baseball institution in the fall when he heads to Endicott College, top-rated Division 3 team in the country right now.
“It’s a beautiful school, the baseball definitely helped. I’m going into finance there, and baseball was just the cherry on top,” Armstrong said.
There’s still plenty of work to do in Windham, first.
“When it’s over, it’s going to be sad, you know, these last four years of my life,” said Armstrong.
“Hopefully, we can make it all the way and finish off with a win. Like I said, it’s going to be sad when it’s over, but hopefully we can end with a bang.”