PINETOWN — Things are looking good for Northside early on in the season. The Panthers are the proud owners of a 2-0 record with wins over South Creek and Columbia this week.

Jensen Hawkins batted in a pair of the Panthers’ 13 runs to help them to a 13-9 road win over Columbia. He and Ben Selby are both seniors and are both designated hitters. The two are older players mixed into a largely young group that has proven itself offensively gifted with 19 runs scored in two games.

“That’s what’s so good about this young lineup, even with the older guys mixed in there,” coach Keith Boyd said. “Everybody that steps into the box for us this year, you feel like you’ve got a little bit of confidence. It’s been a while since we’ve had that. Normally, we have three or four guys. Right now, everyone is showing such good signs of growth that we’re filling the order.”

Their role in the game may be somewhat limited, but they more than make up for it in a leadership capacity. Not being in the field and watching most of the game from the dugout can sometimes be a tough task, especially for a senior.

That’s not the case for these two.

Selby looks for an old fashioned fastball when he’s batting. Hawkins, on the other hand, keeps his eye out for a changeup high and inside. Even if they do get their desired pitches, their biggest contribution isn’t their batting. Rather, it’s the example they set for some of their younger teammates.

“I’ll tell you what really helps (Hawkins and Selby) is that they’ve accepted their roles,” Boyd said. “As seniors, you typically want to be out in the field. Hawkins has a little bit of a bummed up shoulder. He knows where his role is.

“Ben hasn’t played in three years. This is his first year back out and he’s coming along. He’s really doing well. What I tell him and Jensen is that, regardless of whether they’re in the lineup as the DH or not, they’re going to get a hit a game. … If everybody is accepting of their role, you’ve got a good, cohesive group.”

They also bring some versatility to Northside’s lineup. Selby said he’s ready and willing to fill in for Parker Boyd at first base. Hawkins said that, because of his shoulder, he’d likely running into problems fielding the ball as well as he’d like.

That’s why he’s zeroing in on what he can do best to contribute to the team’s success.

“It’s good to step back, watch other people play, and still get a chance to hit,” Hawkins said. “We’ve got a bright future on our team for all these young guys. I look forward to that and I look forward to this year, too.”

Whether it’s accepting their roles or being versatile, the common factor is that Selby and Hawkins are intent on doing whatever they can to drive the team’s success. That may mean slotting in somewhere in the infield for a few games or getting a handful of plate appearances. Either way, it’s less about them as individuals and more about Northside as a team.

“That’s character. When they show that kind of character, that shows the other kids the type of leaders they are,” Boyd said. “They’re willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team. It just goes out through the team. When they see the guys act that way, they just want to play that much harder. When they step in the box, the dugout goes crazy and they’re looking for them to lead them in the offensive end.”