The wound is still fresh for coach Steve Irvine, but when he looks back, he can recognize just how successful a season it was.
After all, the Sapulpa baseball team fashioned an impressive 29-10 record, topping 20 wins for the fifth straight time (not counting the wiped-out 2020 season) and advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals for the second year in a row. The back-to-back semifinal appearances are an impressive accomplishment for a team that posted a losing record for four straight years from 2014-17 and hadn’t qualified for the state tournament at all since reaching the 6A state final back in 1999, losing 4-3 to Owasso, until last year.
Still, it’s tough to shake off just how close they were to winning it all, again. After a dramatic come-from-behind walk-off 2-1 victory over Elgin in the state quarterfinals on Thursday, May 11, capped off by an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh from Gage Cramer, the Chieftains returned to the field the next day seeking a trip to the state final. Unfortunately, a powerful Carl Albert squad limited Sapulpa to just three hits and dismantled them 5-0 en route to the title on Sat., May 13.
“It’s difficult,” Irvine acknowledged. “We want to win, we want to find a way to win the big one. I have constant reminders of what the program was seven years ago when I took over, so to have those reminders really helps to keep things in perspective and not get too upset about where we’re at. It’s always hard to know if you win on Friday you play on Saturday and that’s the state finals and to miss those opportunities by 24 hours two years in a row, it drives you. That’s the thing, it drives you.”
On the field, the Chieftains were led by three seniors: shortstop Garrett Richards, pitcher/outfielder Joe Young and right fielder/pitcher Josh Hobbs, among others. Richards led the squad in multiple offensive categories, including batting average (.415), on-base percentage (.490), OPS (1.066) and runs scored (44).
Young was the team’s top pitcher, posting an 8-0 record in 10 appearances (seven starts), with one save, allowing just five earned runs all season (in 44 innings pitched) for an impressive 0.81 earned run average and 58 strikeouts. He allowed just one run and struck out seven in the big state quarterfinal victory over Elgin. At the plate, he led the squad with a .509 on-base percentage and was third with a .982 OPS.
Hobbs batted .315 with a team-high nine doubles and was second with 30 runs scored. On the mound, he went 5-2 in 11 appearances (eight starts), posting a 3.91 ERA.
Irvine will definitely miss all three of those guys next year.
“He has always been a catcher for us and a hitter and this year, we relied more on him on the pitcher’s mound and he had a great season,” Irvine said of Young, who was selected to play in the All-State game on Sun., June 4 at Enid. “Really, the numbers that he put up, I don’t know that somebody can replace what he did specifically.
“Josh Hobbs is another one. Pitched a lot, was a key contributor in the lineup and played a good outfield. Those three guys specifically were great for us this year.”
Other key offensive contributors included Caiden Widdoes (second on team with a .357 batting average, fourth in both on-base percentage, .471, and OPS, .943), Jack Blevins (tied for third with .349 batting average, third with .478 on-base percentage, second with a 1.035 OPS and second with 29 RBIs), and Kason Ashton (also a .349 batting average, third with 29 runs scored).
On the mound, Hayden Lance went 6-1 in 13 appearances (eight starts) while also posting four saves, with an impressive 1.82 ERA.
But even with some key seniors departing, Irvine believes that the team can maintain a similar level of excellence next year. And even if the squad’s pitching might be a bit of a question mark, they might even be better at the plate than they were this season.
“We graduate eight seniors. A lot of our pitching graduates with that class,” Irvine acknowledged. “We definitely know we have the guys to step up and do it. Offensively, I think we’ll be in a little better place next year but we’ve definitely got work to do. Some guys need to cut their teeth a little bit, so this summer will be important for those younger guys. We were able to kind of get some sophomores acclimated this year and starting, and we have a big class of juniors that are going to be seniors next year.”
Irvine’s goal all along has been to build a program that maintains a high level and competes for a state title every year. With the success that the Chieftains have enjoyed during his seven-year tenure, that process is well underway.
“We love what we have built as far as depth and we tell our players all the time, this isn’t just a team that goes and tries to win it, this is a program that we want to be able to sustain success year after year after year,” Irvine said. “Having a junior high program helps us a lot. Being able to create good habits with seventh and eighth graders, so by the time they’re freshmen, our kids already know. I think those things are vital. I’ve also had great staff, great booster club. Our booster club raises a ton of money each year, to continue allowing us to push the needle.”
