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BEVERLY -- The Fort Frye baseball team is off to an 11-1 start this spring, and nobody is enjoying the Cadets' success more than senior Dawson Layton.
Layton, who earned the pitching win in Fort Frye's 6-3 win over Williamstown Friday, is in his third year on the Cadets' varsity squad. However, this spring has been by far the most successful Fort Frye has had in Layton's career.
"Finally, the hard work is paying off," Layton said. "The countless hours and days you're down here doing what you love, it's finally paying off and really showing with our record.
"We come down here, we work hard and we get out. We've got guys putting in extra time in the cages early before games. That's went a long way."
Layton is part of a seven-man senior class that didn't get to play their freshman year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last two seasons didn't yield the win-loss results the Cadets would have liked, but everything has come together through the early part of the 2023 season.
"We're doing well as a team," said Fort Frye head coach Trey Engle, who took over the program Layton's freshman year. "The biggest thing I keep preaching is don't forget who you are. These kids have done a really good job with that and they're feeling really good about it. They know what's expected of them. They want it for each other."
Fort Frye baseball is big part of the Layton family tree -- Dawson had three older brothers play for the program in Drew, Derek and Devin. Also, his father, Ryan, used to be on the Fort Frye baseball coaching staff before switching to softball, where Dawson's sister Denay plays.
"We've got an indoor facility at home with batting cages and stuff," Dawson Layton said. "We've actually got our own baseball field at home that my dad built for us. It's been nice being able to do that practice and really get a feel for the game at a young age."
Engle likes having a Layton on his team.
"He's one of my favorites," Engle said. "Dawson kind of keeps the team together. He knows what's going on throughout the game."
A solid pitcher and fielder, Layton also bats leadoff for the Cadets. He collected two hits, including a double, and scored a run against Williamstown.
"I'm seeing it pretty well right now," Layton said. "Coach Engle's really told me, 'Think middle backside.' With me being a lefty, I've got a decent amount of speed to where I can beat some stuff out. If I really hit that backside and get some base hits, that let's my guys behind me clean me up."
Layton has 21 hits in 35 at-bats this season for a .600 average. He's hit four doubles, four triples and driven in 11 runs. Layton has walked four times and struck out just once.
Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.