by Jake Boese |

With a heap of successful spring sports teams at LHS last year, the baseball team fit right in with its run at state. It was no surprise the team made a deep run into the state tournament because there were many returning players from the second place season the previous year. The team ended up getting third in the tournament, led by a furious, last-inning comeback in the consolation game.

After losing to the eventual state champs, Rockwood Summit, in the semi-finals round, the Jays had to face a very tough Willard team in the third-place game. With the Jays trailing by six runs entering the seventh and final inning, they knew they had a tough task to try and win the game. The team moved from station to station with a string of singles and walks. The game and the comeback were capped off with a single from Taylor Uhlmann scoring Nathan Winfrey for the seventh and winning run for the Jays.

The players not only enjoyed the games during the tournament but also the time in between games.

“It was amazing. I think the whole team bonded from the games and all the extra activities that we did,” junior Jacob Francis said.

The state tournament had an atmosphere that only the players truly got to feel.

“It is an all-around great experience,” senior Nathan Volkmann said. “You get to play against teams from across the state that have the same goal in mind as you do, which is to win the whole thing.”

Returning players from the year before motivated the team throughout the season.

“It gave everyone the confidence to believe in themselves and the team that we can actually make it to state,” Volkmann said.

Francis was the winning pitcher for the Jays, getting the final two outs in the top of the seventh, but he only really cared about what his team had accomplished.

“It was awesome [getting the win], but I liked the team coming back and winning the game more,” Francis said.

The team has a long journey back to the postseason this year beginning with offseason workouts starting later this year. If their hard work pays off again this year they could make it three straight years going to the state tournament, which is something almost unheard of in high school baseball.