OKLAHOMA CITY — Forty-nine years is a long time to wait.
So when Elgin baseball skipper Levi Garrett was drying off Saturday night from the celebratory ice water bath, he couldn’t help but reflect on the hard times that had led up to Elgin’s first baseball state championship since the fall of 1969.
“The first couple years it was a struggle,” admitted Garrett, who began coaching Elgin eight years ago. “I knew I had good kids coming up through the program, but it’s a waiting process.”
As the wait grew longer and longer, so did the angst, particularly last season when the ‘17 Owls (29-10) lost in regionals.
“We were disappointed to say the least,” Garrett said. “I had guys who gave me every ounce, but that weekend we were just off. Everything we hit was to someone.”
Flash forward to last Saturday when Elgin — buoyed by timely hits, sound defense and quality pitching — topped Blanchard 7-6 for the Class 4A crown.
The coveted championship was well worth the wait.
“Everything happens for a reason,” said Garrett, who had played in eight state baseball tournaments in high school, winning three state championships and one runner-up at Lookeba-Sickles. “It’s just incredible.”
Most championship teams share the trademark of quality offseason work — the progress made when nobody is watching.
“You can’t be a champion until you learn how,” Garrett said, elaborating on the endless summers the Owls spent traveling and playing baseball with coach, dreaming of one day playing for a state championship.
Year by year, the Owls’ summer progress grew exponentially and became evident on the diamond when Elgin won its first district title in 2014.
But the Owls weren’t done yet as they proceeded to win a regional title, booking a spot in the state tournament.
“It made everything I was saying a little more believable,” Garrett said. “The last state tournament bunch (2014) opened the eyes to what we could be and what we could accomplish at Elgin.”
What the Owls (28-13) — led by Garrett and assistant coaches Kyle Walbrick and Chad Rodgers — accomplished this season all stemmed from their belief in one another.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” said Jake Meents, who delivered the go-ahead two-run triple in the sixth inning in the championship. “Everything we’ve accomplished as a team has come from showing heart. We’ve grown together so much this season.”
Even as the Owls grew together, outside criticism closed in, but the team remained unfazed.
“We were supposed to go 0-2 in regionals and get beat out,” Meents said. “They said we’re not even supposed to be here.”
Yet here the Owls were, the last Class 4A team left standing in Bricktown, a championship team that was built brick by brick in previous summers.
Silly Skordle polls didn’t show a single vote for Elgin in its semifinal against Verdigris. The Owls let their smash mouth hitting on the diamond do the talking, slamming 16 runs on Verdigris in a run-rule blowout.
Announcers wouldn’t stop praising Blanchard’s greatness coming into the championship and after the Owls faced a 2-0 deficit in the second inning, Elgin could’ve listened and thrown in the towel.
“Being the underdogs coming in, nobody supported us outside the school,” said senior Jacob Dawson who earned the win on the mound in the semifinals before hitting a pair of doubles in the championship. “We kept together in the dugout, we believed in ourselves and that’s all that matters.”
Having already thrown their top two pitchers, belief in one another was needed more than ever.
After Jaken Snider and Jacob Dawson both pitched complete games in cruise control wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Garrett said the Owls would likely need a “tag team” effort on the mound in the championship.
Garrett’s hunch was spot on.
Braeden Moreland, who was magnificent all season as a freshman, earned the start and battled hard early to prevent Blanchard’s lead from widening beyond 2-0. Moreland was backed up by solid defense from his teammates as seniors Jaken Snider, at shortstop, and Braeden Shackelford, at third base, made several difficult plays look routine.
Garrett pulled Moreland after the first two innings and inserted Lance Bianchini, who pitched the final five innings and sealed the win.
“I knew regardless of who I chose to throw, it was going to be unfair to who I went to,” Garrett said of the pitching change.
After securing two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh, Blanchard loaded the bases before Bianchini walked home a run. The bases were loaded again as Garrett trotted out to the mound, not to pull the junior, but to reassure Bianchini the team was here for him win or lose.
Even with the tying run at third base and the winning run for Blanchard at second, his confidence in Bianchini — as well as all his players — never wavered.
“I know you’re out of gas,” Garrett told Lance in that moment. “Just give me all you have.”
Just like his teammates had all season, Bianchini gave all he had to the next Blanchard batter who flew out to right field and into the arms of Kendrick Black for the final out.
As they began celebrating with the dog pile and team photos, one thing remained clear. The Owls were simply playing baseball.
“The boys never let the moment get to big,” Garrett said. “We talked about how it would take several guys pitching in and they didn’t disappoint.”
After Elgin’s semifinal victory, Garrett attributed the leadership in the dugout — both from players and non-players — to the team’s success.
Quality leadership was just as important on this remarkable state championship journey as the team’s comradery.
“Everyone on this team is willing to fight for the guy next to them,” Shackelford said during a spring practice last month. “None of us will give up on another teammate. We're always there for each other.”
When you combine belief with the Owls’ kinship and talent, it’s no wonder they are state champions.
The Elgin Owls taught Oklahoma an important lesson this spring.
Never doubt the underdog, especially the one who was never truly an underdog to begin with.
solson@swoknews.com
