Hawks Overcome Problems, Go On Roll
The Lakeland Hawks baseball season has resembled a spaghetti western - good, bad and ugly.
The 3-0 start was good, losing seven of the next 10 was bad, and an off-field incident followed by disciplinary measures was ugly.
However, this team avoided boot hill and finished as the Intermountain League champ, winning its last 10 games.
“It’s almost like three different seasons,” said Hawks coach Ken Busch. “We started well, hit well. But it’s like the guys felt they they could just stick their gloves out and not have to play. They had to learn that things aren’t just going to happen, you have to work for it.”
In the first three games, Lakeland had seven home runs, a credit to hard work in the cages and poor field conditions.
“All we could do was hit,” said Busch. “In Idaho, it’s hard to take infield. I figured the defense would be decent and hoped for adequate pitching.”
The players admit to getting overconfident after their fast start.
“I remember telling people that we had a chance to win it all,” said junior second baseman Chase Williams. “When we started losing, I felt so bad I couldn’t look at them.”
“We were all talk and no show,” said senior center fielder Bryan Phelps.
After a couple of losses, the Hawks started pressing.
“When we got behind, we couldn’t come back,” said senior first baseman Taylor Skidmore. “There was no team unity.”
An incident on a bus ride home from St. Maries on April 6 forced the team to band together.
“A rule was broken by an individual,” said Busch. “We still don’t know who. When I asked, the players wanted to know if that meant he would be off the team. Which it did. No one came forward. So I told them they would run wind sprints until someone did.”
“While we were running, we were screaming at each other,” said Williams. “There was a lot of frustration and coach let us get it out.”
“The next day,” said Phelps. “It felt good we had cleared the air.”
“It was a test of manhood,” said senior catcher Dan Dockter. “There was a lot of whining during, but afterward we started functioning as a team.”
“And,” added Skidmore. “We started winning again.”
Busch saw an immediate change.
“I told them we could fold up the tent or come out swinging. We beat some of the better league opponents, like St. Maries (April 24). It got the kids back on track.”
But when all looked well, the hitters struggled.
Said Busch: “The one thing we could count on wasn’t happening. I am glad our pitching came around.”
The Hawks’ two aces are juniors Kevin Reese (5-2) and Mike Banks (5-0).
“Reese and Banks have shown a lot of poise,” said Busch. “They carried quite a bit of the load.”
The pitching stabilized the Hawks and remained consistent when the Lakeland offense returned.
Phelps has added offensive punch, hitting .524 leading off with an on-base percentage of .700, 17 stolen bases and a team-record 10 doubles. His teammates have impressive stats as well, with William hitting .380, Skidmore setting a team record with seven triples and junior utility player Jeremy McMillian hitting four home runs.
However, when it comes to inspiration, they referred to “Big Skid,” Skidmore’s dad, Jim.
“When the game is going, you hear `Big Skid’ all over,” said Phelps. “He has this booming voice. It can be snowing and `Big Skid’ is there, wearing three coats and cheering.”
“We call him the ultimate fan,” said Williams. “Our parents have given us great support, even when we we’re struggling. When there is a lot of support, you want to play better.”
The Hawks are proud to be league champs, but as they host the district tourney Saturday, they know that once again, they are at ground zero.
“The last 10 games mean nothing on Saturday,” said Williams.
“From here on out,” added Phelps, “it’s a new season. We have to play well. If we get beat, it is going to have to be by a better team.”
“The way this team is playing now, we should win state,” said Dockter.
“But, we know we have to do it one game at a time,” Skidmore said.