June 13, 2007

Knights have some unfinished business

When the final outs were recorded Saturday night at Bill Nixon Field in Plymouth, it was almost like someone opening up a Christmas present that had already been seen.

It was almost inevitable that the Norwell Knights would win the Plymouth Class 3A semi-state since they had been heralded by many onlookers as the No. 1 team in all of Indiana high school baseball.

The 4-1 victory over the Andrean Fighting 59ers was something the Knights had been waiting for for 365 days.

Since losing to Jasper in the 2006 Class 3A state finals game, the Knights had been focused on making a return trip in 2007.

They probably were not expecting to go through the 2007 season undefeated with a 34-0 record, but the Knights were bent on getting back to Victory Field in Indianapolis where the state finals are played in all four classes.

Upon accomplishing their task of winning the semi-state title and going back to Indy, the Knights resoundly stated that they were not concentrating on their record but the next game and the next opponent.

“We haven’t thought about (our record) all year,” said senior second baseman Andrew Gerz after the semi-state victory. “A lot of people ask us if stuff gets to our heads, but all we think about is the next game coming up.”

Going back to April 13, 2006 when the Knights suffered a 6-2 loss against Fort Wayne Snider, the Knights have put together an amazing 58-1 record. Overall, they are 63-2 through the last two seasons. That’s remarkable.

“It’s difficult to imagine, but this is a talented group,” said Norwell’s head coach Kelby Weybright after the semi-state finale. “They can do so many things offensively, and defensively they are so good. The guys can run. I think it’s a testament to players that we have in our program.”

Norwell senior pitcher Jarrod Parker, who has compiled a two-year record of 19-1 since joining the Knights in 2006, was thrilled to be going back for another shot at a state title.

“It’s just awesome to have the opportunity. These guys are the only bunch that I’d want to go to the state with,” said the recent Arizona Diamondbacks No. 9 draft pick.

“We just go ahead and play every game kind of just like it’s our last,” added Parker. “We don’t want to lose. It’s been our plan all year long.”

Senior shortstop Kreigh Williams, who initiated the final double play that clinched the semi-state win, also had the state final game on his mind rather than the outstanding record that the Knights have achieved.

“It really hasn’t clicked,” said Williams. “I’m sure after the season, this fall or maybe in a couple of years, I’ll look back and say, ‘Wow, we were something special.’ But right now, we’re just taking one inning, one game at a time and just trying to get our job done.”

Looking back at what he and his teammates have done, Williams credited their success to their hard work and determination.

“We practice so much, so long and so hard that we look like just one big team, but I think it’s great how not only the seniors have contributed,” Williams added, “but we’ve got Rhett (Goodmiller) and Ryne (Otis) as juniors, and (Klay) Fiechter is a freshman and (Bryce) Murphy is a sophomore. So, you’re not looking at just one class. You’re looking at all four classes contributing to the state title that hopefully is going to come our way.”

While the Knights have worked together as a team, the glue holding the group together are the seniors. The seniors have one more thing they want to add to their list of accomplishments so that they can close out an illustrious chapter in school history.

“There’s seven of us seniors and we’ve been playing together for 10 years and it’s been fun playing together and it’s been a fun ride,” said Gerz.

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