Though it’s very early in the season, the Person Rockets have shown some promising signs through their first three games by displaying solid pitching, good depth, and timely hitting.

Thus far, the pitching has been the team’s most impressive feature.

Since the opening two innings of 2008, the opposition has crossed the plate just three times against the Rockets, spanning a total of 18 innings.

After being touched up for six runs in the first two innings, the Person duo of Stephen Wright and Brandon Wrenn kept Cardinal Gibbons off the board the rest of the way in the season opening 16-6 win last Wednesday.

Then freshman Dylan Dickens threw six strong innings (giving up just four hits) in a 3-2 victory at Webb on Thursday, followed by Jeremy Peed’s complete-game, two-hitter in an 8-1 triumph Friday night at Cedar Ridge.

“The key for us has been our ability to get ahead of the hitters with first-pitch strikes,” said Person head coach Steve Evans. “In the first game, Stephen and Brandon did a good job, but we scored a lot of runs and that helped carry us through. But in the next two games, first-pitch strikes were really big.”

Just three of the six runs scored against Person in the opener against Gibbons were earned.

With the absence of starters Trey Davis, Peed and Ricky Crabtree in the season’s first two games, Person needed some of the younger players to step up and perform.

Freshman Travis Vaughan filled in admirably for Davis at the catcher position, going 2-for-3 and driving in what turned out to be the winning run in the win over Webb.

Of course, there was Dickens’ effort and sophomore infielder Cody Ellis played well in a starting role.

“John [Kokat, assistant coach] and I were pleased to see how well our younger players responded to the pressure in the first couple of games,” said Evans. “It showed that we have depth that we can depend on as the season moves on.”

Being able to earn three victories in three days last week should also serve as a booster of positive feelings, according to Evans.

“It should give us a lot of confidence as we approach this week’s games,” he said.

The early-season competition is with lower division teams, but Friday’s win over Cedar Ridge and today’s South Granville match up are not contests where the Rockets, who ended up 12-12 last year, are facing chopped liver.

Cedar Ridge finished 18-7 in Division 2A and advanced to the East Regional finals in 2007. The website Impactbaseball.com ranked the Red Wolves sixth among 2A teams in its 2008 preseason poll.

As well, South Granville has two star players: senior catcher Jeff May, who has verbally committed to play at Division I-A powerhouse North Carolina, and No. 1 pitcher and third baseman Pratt Maynard, who has signed to play for N.C. State.

“They’re the three and four hitters in their lineup, a righty /lefty combination, and both have a lot of power,” observed Evans, who added that SG’s No. 2 and 3 pitchers Josh Darroach and Nash Blackley are equally as good as Maynard.

Preseason polls had South Granville, which went 24-5 in 2007 and reached the 3A regional semifinals, ranked fourth overall.

“This is a good opportunity for our team having to play such quality teams before we begin the conference season,” Evans said.

Person’s contest against South Granville was rained out on Tuesday and is scheduled for a make-up today (4:30 p.m.) at Rocket Park. The Rockets also have a home rematch with Webb Friday afternoon (scheduled 4:30 start).

The Rockets hit their first two homers of the season on Friday when Trey Davis clocked a grand slam in a five-run fifth, and Marc Davis followed the next inning with a two-run shot to aid the cause in Person’s three-run sixth.