Senior pitcher Jackson Davenport isn’t bothered by the fact that he has played for four coaches in his four seasons at Griffith.

He even embraces it.

“Every coach has something you can learn from them,” Davenport said. “So instead of being down about it, I always stay positive about having four coaches because I learn something about the game from each and every coach I had.

“I have nothing bad to say about it. I’m grateful it happened.”

Davenport paused and then added, “I get to play baseball. That’s awesome.”

Davenport’s attitude has remained awesome, according to Andrew Braddy, Griffith’s first-year coach. Braddy is the third coach for the Panthers since Brian Jennings, whose name adorns their home field, stepped down in 2022 after 24 seasons. Braddy spent last season as an assistant and graduated from Griffith in 2019.

“He’s a good kid,” Braddy said of Davenport. “He works extremely hard. He’s the definition of grit — that’s what he is. He’s had a tough four years. But he’s extremely passionate about baseball and about the program. He’s a true Griffith kid, a true blue-collar kid.”

Braddy described Davenport as “the ultimate competitor.”

“He’s only 5-7 but plays bigger than that. … He’s the definition of a bulldog on the mound,” Braddy said. “We can plug him in anywhere on the field, and we know we’re going to get everything he has.”

Through Wednesday, Davenport was 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings for the Panthers (10-11, 6-4), who will play Greater South Shore Conference foe Bishop Noll in the semifinals of the Class 3A East Chicago Central Sectional on May 28.

A catcher and outfielder when he’s not pitching, Davenport was hitting .259 with 13 RBIs, 19 runs scored and 10 stolen bases.

“Going into the season, I wanted to prove not only that I have the capability of not being a .210 batting average hitter, but I also can produce runs,” Davenport said, referring to his average last season. “I feel like that’s what I’ve been doing this entire season, putting the bat on the ball, putting it in play, getting on base, scoring runs.

“Pitching, I didn’t pitch as much as I wanted to last year, but this year they’re giving me a lot of opportunities. I’m going to Calumet College to pitch, and I wanted to prove to everybody that I’m worthy of doing that.”

Davenport, a safety and wide receiver for Griffith’s football team, also intends to play sprint football at Calumet College.

“I love both sports, but I would say I like baseball more — I would say that,” he said. “But the passion for football is definitely there. I love football. I’ve been playing it since I was 4 — same with baseball.”

Davenport’s brother Andrew, a 2019 Griffith graduate, played football and baseball there, played baseball at Calumet College and is an assistant under Braddy. Davenport’s brother Ryan, a 2020 Griffith graduate, played football at Calumet College. Davenport’s twin brother, Nolan, stopped playing baseball after his sophomore season to focus on football and is a Trine commit. Their sister Skylar, a 2018 Griffith graduate, played volleyball and basketball.

“It was an easy choice for me,” Jackson Davenport said of deciding to attend Calumet. “I know everybody there. It’s a nice little community at Cal College.”

Davenport plans to study special education. He said he knew in fifth grade that he wanted to become a teacher and in middle school that he wanted to become a coach.

“Teaching and coaching is the best combo for me,” he said. “From a teaching standpoint, I just want to help kids as much as possible so they can better themselves in the future. And coaching, I just love sports too much not to.”

Davenport and Griffith senior Aiden Anthony are co-captains, and Anthony appreciates sharing that role with him.

“Jackson’s a very good player all around,” Anthony said. “Where it comes through the most is his attitude toward everything. He’s a very confident and driven person, so he drives everyone else around him to do their best and to be their best. That’s one of the best qualities he has. I’m very thankful to be captain with him.”

Davenport said he and Anthony have been teammates since they were 4 years old.

“Sharing my last year with him is very special,” Davenport said. “He’s a lead-by-example guy. He’s not really a vocal guy, but if you see him at practice, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do.

“Somebody has to be the voice, and that’s me. I have to hold them accountable. It’s all about accountability.”

Braddy praised both for their leadership this season.

“They represent Griffith to a T,” Braddy said. “They’re the faces and leaders of this team, and they’ve done a great job in those roles. Making them team captains was a no-brainer. They’re leading this team into the postseason, and we need them. We need them down the stretch if we’re going to have postseason success and bring back a sectional.”

Griffith last won a sectional title in 2021, which was its ninth straight after the 2020 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Panthers experienced back-to-back sub-.500 seasons but have made strides.

“It’s been a dream come true for me,” Braddy said. “This is what I envisioned when I became a physical education major in college at Ball State. I was in the program last year as an assistant coach, and now I got the head job. I didn’t think I’d be running it this soon, but it’s been great. I have a bunch of good kids, and they’re learning to buy in. There’s a lot of pieces here, good talent. We’re a young team, but we have a bright future.

“I’m excited for it. I don’t plan on going anywhere. I’m trying to bring stability to this program, which is what it needs. There’s been no stability since Jennings. I want to bring stability, and I want to bring Griffith baseball back to how I remember it growing up watching the game and then when I played in the program. We had tremendous success, and we have to get back to that. We have the right young guys to do it here. It’s just going to take some time. It doesn’t mean we can’t win a sectional this year.”

That’s the goal for Davenport.

“We have to play like we have a chip on our shoulder,” he said. “I just wanted to prove something this year, that we could go out and compete for a sectional title. We have that opportunity. It’s in our reach. We just have to figure some things out, get our minds right and head right into it.”