How Milan baseball’s Rye Maxwell is getting most out of senior season before college ball

MILAN – Rye Maxwell knows how to be a jokester with his Milan baseball teammates.

Whether it’s taking gloves from teammates or giving them a little shove, it’s all in good fun for Maxwell, a senior. The other Bulldogs certainly return the favor, hyping Maxwell up during an interview – more or less trying to distract him – or joking about the impressive beard he’s had since he was 7, the moustache coming in during the second grade.

“It’s all one big joke fest,” Maxwell said, smiling. “It’s just all about having fun.”

But the atmosphere the Bulldogs (15-5) have created produces good baseball. Maxwell, especially. He had a double, a triple, drove in two runs and scored twice in a 12-2 win over Peabody on Tuesday at Joyner Field.

Maxwell hit .310 last season with 34 RBIs. This season, Maxwell is hitting .403 with 21 RBIs, 10 doubles, a triple and has scored 22 runs.

Maxwell has been in the lineup since he was a sophomore. Back then, he was just trying to make contact with the ball, which he did often. But they were often line drives or hits down the line. Now, Maxwell is working the ball all over the field.

“He’s learned how to hit when guys aren’t going to give him something to turn on,” said Milan coach Greg Scott. “So he’s going middle right (field) and he’s doing it with some authority.”

At the plate, Maxwell likes to keep it simple. It’s working.

“Just having fun out there and seeing beach balls right now,” Maxwell said, referring to seeing the ball well.

The Bulldogs advanced to the TSSAA state championship last season, losing the title game to Union County, 8-3, in eight innings. Maxwell was the losing pitcher after allowing four runs (zero earned) in one inning.

That game was the Bulldogs’ first TSSAA state championship appearance since 2011. They won the state title in 2004.

“I was the one on the mound when it ended,” Maxwell said. “It really sucked for me and we want to get back.”

Maxwell didn’t pitch much last season; he did rack up 19 strikeouts in 19? innings pitched. He suffered an elbow injury, however, and won't pitch this season .

After the season, Maxwell said he’s going to undergo Tommy John surgery, a procedure used to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Surgeons use a tendon from somewhere else in the body to stabilize the elbow, eliminate the pain and restore the range of motion. After that, Maxwell hopes to pitch and hit at Jackson State Community College.

Other than pitching, Maxwell was given the all-clear to play. He is usually the Bulldogs’ first baseman, but he played right field in Tuesday’s run rule victory over the Golden Tide (4-14). The pain, as of now, is manageable.

“When I throw? (It hurts) quite a bit,” Maxwell said. “Everything else is just fine.”

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Maxwell has changed his mindset over the years. When he was younger, he often brought his mood from school to the ballpark. Now, he just wants to focus on winning and having a good time with his teammates.

Scott noticed the change. He’s known Maxwell since the beard started coming in. Scott’s son, Gabe, and Maxwell played on the same youth teams.

“He’s a good, quiet guy in the dugout. Younger guys can watch it when you show up,” Scott said. “He’s a super smart guy, he’s a 30+ ACT guy and he’s going to be successful in whatever he does.”

Austin Chastain is a high school sports writer covering West Tennessee. Reach him by email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: How Rye Maxwell is making most of final season with Milan baseball