BHS baseball stays tough through rough patches
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/Sports/60267/
BENTONVILLE The season didnt end the way the Bentonville baseball team wanted.
But coach Todd Abbott couldnt be prouder of the way his senior-laden team handled an up-and-down season.
The Tigers finished the year 14-17 after a loss to conference rival Har-Ber in the Class 7 A quarterfinals.
A team attitude, Abbott said, helped the team through a couple rough patches and led the Tigers to a big postseason win. Obviously we would have liked to win some more games but the work ethic of these guys and the leadership with these guys was great, Abbott said. Their attitudes from Day 1 to the end, whether they were winning or losing or struggling or whatever it was just a tremendous group of young men. I really enjoyed being around them each and
every day. It was a lot of
fun. The Tigers started the year 10-2 but struggled through five-game and six-game losing streak before making it to the state tournament.
A lack of offensive production plagued the Tigers during the first losing skid and errors hurt during the second, but Abbott said eight seniors helped keep the team focused on moving forward.
Our seniors did a great job and were always here to keep everyone in the right mind set, Abbott said. They were encouraging those who were struggling or picking somebody up who had just made an error or whatever it was.
The Tigers snapped that six-game skid by beating Conway 7-4 on Friday in the first round of the state tournament.
Senior Erin McGee pitched a gem in the complete-game win, striking out 7 and scattering 5 hits in the win. The Tigers erased the Wampus Cats early lead and then answered after Conway tied the game in the sixth inning. Despite all of our inconsistencies all year, the entire team put it all together Friday night, Abbott said. What a great job. To see them put it together and to see it all work the way it did Friday night was really great to see and a special thing for those seniors.
Tiger seniors led the team in offense and pitching. Third baseman Buster Gean and catcher Adam Seal led the offense with 36 and 30 hits, respectively. Gean led the team with 34 RBIs while Seal found a way on base through hits, walks, getting hit by a pitches or errors at least once in every game. Seniors Martin Tabler (46 2 / 3 innings, 37 strikeouts ), Matt Garza (26 2 / 3 innings, 38 strikeouts ), A. J. Exner (38 2 / 3 innings, 35 strikeouts ) and McGee (41 2 / 3 innings, 43 strikeouts ) had the majority of the innings this year. Five of those seniors will play college baseball while Tabler will play tennis at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. Gean is signed with Ouachita Baptist and Exner will play at Southwest Baptist University. Garza, McGee and Seal will play together at Maple Woods Community College.
Junior Erik Ragsdale broke a team record by getting hit by a pitch 13 times. Brad Hyde set the previous record at 9 in 2003.
Graduating eight seniors including six starters will leave the Tigers with plenty of holes to fill before next year. Thats the way it goes, Abbott said. Whats good for all the underclassmen is everything is wide open. There are plenty of opportunities there for younger guys. Were just going to have to get right back after it again.