Randolph-Henry High School’s junior varsity (JV) baseball team holds a rough overall record of 3-12, but it masks a positive trend that has defined the season.

“I think that we’ve improved week by week,” Statesmen Head Coach Mark Heintzleman said. “We started out slow but have learned a lot throughout the season and have made major strides in becoming a better team.”

The team, comprised of four sophomores, seven freshmen and two eighth-graders, has experienced sound defeat and narrow victory in recent outings.

The Statesmen fell 17-1 to visiting Goochland High School on Thursday.

“We gave up 13 or so runs in the top of the fourth,” Heintzleman said. “There always seems to be one inning for us that we just can’t stop the bleeding, and a team really takes advantage of that against us.”

This was contrasted, however, with a 4-3 road win over Fuqua School on May 7.

“We hit the ball very well, and our defense and pitching was great against Fuqua,” the coach said.

Randolph-Henry visits Buckingham County High School on Wednesday at 5 p.m. to take on the JV Knights and then concludes the year with a 6 p.m. home game on Thursday against the Cumberland County High School JV Dukes.

Heintzleman said his goals entering these two games are “to win both of them and finish out the season winning three of the final four games.”

If the Statesmen do this, it will be with the help of some standouts that have established themselves over the course of the spring.

“On the mound has been our eighth-grader, Jett Algeier,” Heintzleman said. “To have the control over the ball that he has at his age is very impressive.”

On offense, the coach highlighted Trevor Lipscomb, who he said has been the team’s best hitter.

Defensively, “the player who has made some incredible plays in the outfield would be Ryan Davis,” Heintzleman said.