South Hagerstown senior Jeremiah Boxall is cool under pressure in baseball and band

South Hagerstown senior Jeremiah Boxall is used to pressure.

As a baseball reliever, at any moment Boxall can be called upon to preserve leads late in close games.

It's a similar kind of pressure to what he regularly faces as one of Washington County's most talented high school musicians, a standout with the band and orchestra.

So when Boxall's number was called in the top of the seventh inning of Wednesday's game against Williamsport, with the Rebels holding a 4-2 lead with one out and two Wildcats on base, he knew just what to do.

"It's super stressful, but I did it some last year and I'm doing it this year," Boxall said.

After Williamsport scored a run on an error, Boxall got a groundout to third base and a foul popup near the fence on the first-base side to close the door on Williamsport and cap South's 4-3 victory.

"Relieving is my thing," said Boxall, who also plays in the outfield and started in left field Wednesday. "You just got to throw strikes, and the fielders will make the plays."

Boxall has been honing each of his crafts for a decade.

"I started playing baseball in Frederick in Little League," he said. "My dad has always played baseball. My grandparents played baseball. I've been a big watcher of baseball."

Boxall gravitated to pitching so he could "have control of the game," he said. "I've always been pitching, since Little League. I pitched in some all-star games in Frederick when I lived there."

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Around the same time, Boxall got involved in music.

"I've been playing percussion since third grade," he said. "I always loved seeing the drum lines in high school. That's what I wanted to do."

Few beat to the tune of their own drum as well as Boxall. He earned first chair (the band equivalent of first place) for both All-County Band and All-County Orchestra this school year and last school year.

He's held a number of positions in South's bands — such as principal percussionist in the wind ensemble, band president and marching band percussion captain — as well as in Washington County Indoor Percussion as the percussion captain and drumline captain.

"When you want something, you just have to keep working at it," Boxall said. "You'll get it in time if you stay with that focus and keep working hard. ... I plan to go to college and pursue band. Depending on how this year goes for baseball, I might pursue baseball as well. Those things have been my things, so I'll keep working at it."

"Obviously, his work ethic is extremely high," said South baseball coach Zach Frazier. "To be able to do band at such a high level, to keep his grades high — I think his GPA is a 3.7 or so — and then to come out here and play a sport, it takes a lot of time management, commitment and maturity that you really don't see in every kid out here. He's a great role model. He's somebody we want our other student-athletes to strive to be like. ... He might have to miss a practice here and there for a major band event, but I preach wanting our kids to be well-rounded, and he's set up to leave South and be successful. That has to be the ultimate goal."

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: South Hagerstown's Jeremiah Boxall has passion for band and baseball