W’burg baseball team wraps season with quarterfinal state tourney loss

Winning a game would have been nice, but anytime a team can end their season at the state tournament it’s been a good year.

Williamsburg’s 2023 baseball team was thrilled to be playing in last week’s Class 2A state tournament at Carroll, and while they lost their quarterfinal round game to Underwood, 7-2, becoming only the fourth team in school history to get to state was a memory they will cherish forever.

This Tuesday night, July 18, didn’t bode well for the Raiders, who spotted the Eagles a 3-0 lead in the first inning, gave up four more runs in the third to fall behind 7-1, and couldn’t recover.

Williamsburg scored once each in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Cael Moore doubled and scored on an Underwood error on a sharply hit ball to second base by Sam Rich. Rayce Heitman doubled and scored on another double by Landon Jepson in the fourth.

The only other hits the Raiders managed were singles by Rich, Nile Sinn and Gavin Jensen. Williamsburg left six base runners stranded, three in scoring position.

Meanwhile, the Eagles collected seven hits off Raiders starter and loser Trey O’Neil, who struggled getting into a groove and issued five bases-on-balls, two of those free passes turning into runs.

“They were able to bunch some hits and walks together to score some runs early, whereas we would get some guys on base and not bring them in,” said Williamsburg coach Nathan King. “That’s what stood out to me.”

The season ended with a .500 record for the Raiders at 20-20 and, basically, was broken down into three parts. Despite a good share of the team finishing up track and golf seasons and not having much practice time, Williamsburg started the year 14-7 and was ranked in the Class 2A top 10.

Then came an eight-game losing streak which led to a 3-12 finish to the regular season and 17-19 record heading into the postseason.

With a new beginning, the Raiders beat East Marshall and Pleasantville in the district semifinals and finals, 13-3 and 5-1. That earned them a berth in the Substate final against No. 8 West Marshall, whom they upset 1-0 in extra innings to advance to state.

“We played some good baseball to start the season and during our postseason run,” said coach King. “In between we had some chances to win more games but didn’t get the job done. Our record could have been better, but the team came away from this season with many great memories.”

Playing at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo., was one of those. Attending the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., was another. And who can forget the dog pile after the substate win that sent them to state and the opportunity to play at Carroll’s Merchant Stadium.

Ten Williamsburg seniors ended their high school careers — Sam Rich, Zach Glandorf, Dallon Whitehill, Ty Becker, Gavin Jensen, Trey O’Neil, Madox and Gavin Doehrmann, Landon Jepson and Jackson Mullnix.

“We will definitely miss them,” coach King said. “They brought us a lot of varsity experience and great leadership. Six of those guys are starters that we’ll have to replace, but we’re excited about the younger guys we have coming back.”