BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
SMITHS STATION —
Glenwood had the bar set high with 12 returning seniors this season, and the Gators justified the tall expectations with a 40-4 record: its most regular-season wins since 2016.
Glenwood also won state in its 46-win 2016 campaign, one of its three titles in the past decade. The Gators will look to make 40 wins a magic number in a chase for its first state championship in seven years beginning on Thursday, April 27, in a doubleheader at home against Monroe at 3:30 p.m. CST. If necessary, game three is on Friday.
“There’s nothing we haven’t seen, so there shouldn’t be any surprises,” said head coach Tim Fanning. “It’s just really about us focusing and executing. … We just need to be efficient on the mound — force contact, let our defense play. We’re really athletic and really good on the bases, and we put pressure on people. That’s what I’m expecting to see on Thursday.”
Glenwood is riding high into the playoffs, winning its final two games over Macon-East and Bessemer, but a 5-4 loss to Macon-East last Tuesday might have brought it down to earth a bit. That loss not only ended Glenwood’s 21-game win streak, but it counted as its only region loss of the season.
Along with a loss to Prattville’s Autauga Academy at the beginning of March, the loss to Macon-East was only Glenwood’s second loss to an in-state opponent this season. The Gators began the season with a tough run through West Georgia and came out with a two-run loss to Strong Rock Christian and a one-run loss to Calvary of Columbus.
Glenwood’s latest loss was in heartbreaking fashion, as it entered the seventh inning with a 4-0 lead before surrendering five runs, allowing Macon-East to walk it off. However, it served as sort of a wake-up call that made itself prevalent in game two of the doubleheader in Montgomery. After falling down 7¬-2 early, the offense put together a storm and won 15-9.
“Maybe that’s what we needed,” Fanning said. “We’ve just got to get back to the basics. That’s what we did at practice on Friday — just working on the little things, so that it doesn’t come down to how big the stage is, it just comes down to how we’re executing. That’s what we’re trying to hammer every day in practice.”
Several arms have stepped up for the Gators outside of the senior class this season. Sophomores Tyler Sykes and Mason McCraine have proven to be go-to arms, adding to the team’s depth. While seniors Jacob Page, Jackson Kennon, Lukas Holman and Wyatt Tharpe have been stellar arms for most of the season, Fanning said his team might get even stronger with some key additions in the playoffs.
With a week off from the regular-season finale to the playoffs, the Gators have the luxury of resting, but also continuing to sharpen its playoff sword. After months of rehab, senior right-handers Brandon McCraine and Jaxon Milam threw bullpens on Friday and Monday, and Glenwood will “feel it out” on when to ease them into game action on the mound.
In year 20 as Glenwood’s head coach, Fanning is looking for his ninth state championship. He’s no stranger to a championship team, and he said this team has all the motivation it needs to win its first varsity ring on the baseball field.
“At this point in the season, I don’t know that there’s any extra motivation; that should be internal,” Fanning said. “With the seniors, this is an opportunity to finish what they started.”