Tuesday, June 11, 2013
SPORTS
The Fayette County Record
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La Grange baseball team members rush out of the dugout to swarm pitcher Logan Vinklarek after the last out of Thursday’s 10-2 state championship win over Texarkana Pleasant Grove. Photo by Tom Wood
Purple Reign, Gold Rush La Grange Wins Fourth State Baseball Title With 10-2 Win Over Defending Champs By JEFF WICK
The Fayette County Record
AUSTIN – Thanks to a group of guys that didn’t know how to quit and a head coach whose career was only going to last as long as they kept winning, the storied history of La Grange Leopard baseball got an exciting new chapter. After a thrilling 2013 season during which they didn’t even clinch a playoff berth until the last day of the regular season, and then needed three comefrom behind postseason victories just to get to the state tournament, the Leps arrived in Austin and suddenly dominated. La Grange followed Wednesday’s 8-3 state semifinal victory over Silsbee with Thursday’s
“
This was the epitome of a true team championship. It seemed like we had somebody different step up each game.”
– La Grange head coach Brad Harbers
10-2 win over defending champ Texarkana Pleasant Grove. And just like that, the Leps, with gold medals around their necks, were hoisting the Class 3A state title trophy in front of 2,639 fans at UT’s Disch-Falk Field. “We did it,” said La Grange senior Logan Vin-
As each Lep got to the infield, they took a leap and added to the celebratory pile after the game. Photo by Tom Wood
klarek, who was named MVP of the championship game after his complete game six-hitter on the mound and his performance at the plate that included a triple, single, sacrifice fly and walk. Thursday’s state title win came 40 years to the day after La Grange won their first baseball state title back in 1973, and it was the fourth overall baseball title for the Leps – making them one of only six teams in Texas to have claimed that many crowns. “People have called this a fairytale,” said La Grange head coach Brad Harbers, who months ago announced he was retiring after the season to move into school administration here in the town he grew up in. “It very well may be.” “This group of guys understood what the game
of baseball meant to the town of La Grange… We’re going to celebrate this one for a long time.” To claim this crown, the Leps had to beat a Pleasant Grove team that was trying to make its case as the new dynasty of 3A baseball. This was the Hawks’ sixth consecutive trip to the state tournament and they had won it all in 2010 and 2012. But the Hawks hadn’t faced a pitcher like La Grange senior Logan Vinklarek or a lineup as scrappy as the Leps’, which for the second consecutive day at state saw everyone in the starting lineup reach base at least once. “This was the epitome of a true team championship,” Harbers said. See Leps, next page
The La Grange players hoist the championship trophy to show off to their fans. Photo by Jeff Wick
The members of the state championship La Grange baseball team are, from left to right: Kneeling: Assistant coach Ben Ahrens, statistician Adam Kulhanek, Dalton Burton, Landon Gerik, Tanner Fritsch, Austin Colon, Adam Robinson, Dustin Drab; Standing: Trainer Gabrielle Rebecca, Assistant Coach Wayne Schmidt, Will Davidson, Rustin Heger, Riley Grayson, Logan Vinklarek, Kyle Oltmann, Trey Supak, Kolby Kolek, Chris Raborn, Ty Beseda, Blake Harbers, and Head Coach Brad Harbers. Photo by Jeff Wick