There’s a feeling when everything is going well. It’s like a beam of joy and happiness as if nothing could go wrong. Ah yes, the perfect life. But then one day after months of greatness you stump your toe on the door and…..THAT’S IT, life is officially horrible! Now of course we all know that although a stumped toe can be painful, it’s not the end of the world. That’s the mindset that the Mansfield Tigers baseball team took after falling to the Greenland Pirates in the 2A West Regional Championship game. The loss was painful, but there’s a whole 2A State Tournament ahead of the Tigers and they’re eager for some more opportunities to play some good ol’ baseball.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
The Tigers ran a gauntlet schedule leading up to the 2A State Tournament. They were rained out of multiple games, traveled long distances to play, and took on larger teams through their diamond campaign. That didn’t damper their moods for the game nor their ability to play…..and win. Mansfield racked up a 20-5 overall record while clinching the 2A-4 Conference Championship, the 2A-4 District Championship, went undefeated in conference play, and closed out the 2A West Regional Tournament as the 2A West Regional Runner-Ups which earned the Tigers the 2Seed in the 2A State Playoffs. Again, the toe may be sore from a loss, but the players can still hit bombs and run the bases en route to a possible State Championship.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
As the bracket goes, Mansfield isn’t alone in the great teams who have dropped one or two games in the season. In fact, only two teams have a better overall record than the Tigers. The Woodlawn Bears (27-3) and the Greenland Pirates (22-4) sit atop the 2A while the Riverside Rebels are only a loss back from Mansfield. Then there’s a slew of teams that are getting hot at the right time heading into the State Tournament. That means Mansfield could face some stiff competition in the State Tournament, but the Tigers won’t let the records detour them. Records are from the past, the games are played now.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
“We’ve had a great season so far,” said Head Coach Layton Robinson. “The tough non-conference schedule we started the season with prepared us for the postseason play we’re about to go into. There are going to be some tough teams in this tournament but we have a great depth of talent. We honestly believe that we can hang with just about anyone out there”. Coach Robinson isn’t stretching the truth on the Tigers depth either. Mansfield has leaned on that depth heavily due to star pitcher Drew Elmore being out for the majority of the season.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
To fill the void, pitchers Trey Vaughan and Cole Kindle have stepped up to the mound to tack on a dictionary of strikeouts in the books. Catcher, Fisher Willsey, not only calls the pitches and is solid behind the plate, but he’s also one of the best hitters on the team. Braxton “Bugga” Byers is a home run threat any time he is at the plate to bat. Defensively, Peyton Martin and Tyler Turnipseed are two of the best infielders that Coach Robinson says he’s seen all year. Then the Tigers have skills in the youth department as Winston “Mr. Utility” Allison can play anywhere the coaches need him and play those positions without flaw while Cooper Edwards is what Coach Robinson calls a “highly competitive and hardnosed gritty Freshman as an outfielder and when he’s up to bat”. If that’s not enough to concern the Tigers upcoming opponents, Drew Elmore will be back on the mound for the State Tournament.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
The Tigers will face their first test of the 2A State Tournament on Thursday, May 11th as they take on the Sloan-Hendrix Greyhounds at 12:30pm in Prairie Grove. The Greyhounds will not be a walkover team by any means as they finished 2nd in the 2A-2 conference with a 14-9 overall record. The catch will be that Mansfield will finally have a fresh healthy roster in the Tigers dugout for their Round1 game. If the Tigers come out with a win, they’ll head back to Greenland and go toe to toe with the winner of Thursday’s Woodlawn versus Buffalo Island game on Friday, May 12th at 3:00pm. So throw on some steel-toed boots because the 2A State Tournament is ready to play ball. Are you?
