BY WIL CREWS
SPORTSCREWS@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
BEULAH —
The varsity Beulah baseball team is heading to the playoffs for the first time in over 10 years.
“It feels great,” said head coach Michael Courson. “I’m happy for these kids to be able to experience something like this, going to the playoffs. We have played good ball this year against a pretty good schedule, so I feel like them being able to hang in these games … even the games we lost, there was so many times we just competed.”
A squad made up of two seniors, two juniors and a plethora of underclassmen has exceeded expectations and punched the first ticket to the playoffs — for any male in any sport at Beulah — since 2018.
“Being able to see those seniors have this opportunity, to have these guys be able to do that, is huge,” Courson said. “To do this with a predominantly young team give us hope for the future. So it’s a huge opportunity for us as a program and also for these young guys.”
The Bobcats are 11-10 (4-5 in the area) at the time of writing, and after finishing second in their area, have a first round state playoffs matchup against the Excel Panthers in Excel, Alabama, starting on April 21.
To this point in the season, Courson said the Bobcats have been led by seniors Noah Higdon (pitcher) and Jackson Hancock (designated hitter). To achieve the postseason success it hopes for, Beulah will continue to lean on their experience, according to Courson.
“[Higdon] leads us well; he is our go-to guy on the mound,” Courson said. “Those guys have put in enough time to where I’m glad they are seeing some fruits of their labor. We can rally around those guys.”
The Bobcats wrapped up regular season play last week and have shifted focus to this weekend’s matchup against Excel. The team is tight-knit according to Courson, and the Bobcats are playing some of their best ball when it matters most.
“They are a tight-knit group,” Courson said. “I know that is coach speak but this group likes each other; they play for each other. The work ethic they have … at times we have played really good defense; we pitched it well; we finally have started putting the barrel on the ball; and everything kind of came together.”
Simply making it to the playoffs was huge for the Bobcats, and Courson said the berth took the pressure off his squad. Now, they will focus on the fundamentals in hopes of pushing further into the postseason.
“Our goals are always win the area and make playoffs,” Courson said. “And to not be able to do that for 10-plus years, I think the pressure was getting in. Now it’s about an opportunity. I want them to play loose, fast and aggressive; seize the opportunity. We want to throw strikes, play good defense and put the ball in play. I’m sure come Friday we are going to feel some pressure because we want to win the game — I hope they do. But we are blessed with the opportunity to do this.”