Sometimes there’s no better motivation than a humiliating loss.
Sylvan Hills suffered an 11-0 setback to Bentonville on April 2. The Bears have not been the same since that contest
“Getting no-hit and runruled in five innings, that was just heart-breaking,” Sylvan Hills sophomore catcher Nick Fakouri said. “[Bentonville players] were saying they ‘should have brought their freshmen team … and we have better things to do on a Saturday.’ … We took that loss to heart.”
The Bears have won 17 of their last 18 games, including three last week during the state tournament in Harrison. Sylvan Hills (28-6) will attempt to earn the program’s eighth state championship this afternoon when it plays Magnolia (21-6) in the Class 5A state championship game at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.
Sylvan Hills Coach Denny Tipton said the loss to Bentonville helped his team refocus.
“Bentonville kicked our butt,” said Tipton, who is in his 19th season as the Bears’ coach. “We made five errors in the first inning. They beat us 11-0 in five innings. And I really and truly think that helped us more than anything because at the time we were doing pretty good. It made us realize we had to work every day. When we came back from that butt-kicking, that was the turning point for us.”
Sylvan Hills has a rich tradition in baseball. Today’s game marks the fifth time Tipton has guided the Bears to the championship. It is, however, the first time since 2008 that Sylvan Hills is playing for a state title.
“It’s nice to be back,” Tipton said. “I’ve always said it’s an honor.”
The Bears will start three seniors, three juniors and three sophomores, a mix that Tipton likes.
Fakouri, a pitcher and catcher who started as a freshman, is one of seven Bears who batted .307 or better this season. Fakouri drove in 26 runs and hit 10 doubles. On the mound, he was 8-1 with a 2.92 ERA.
Senior Mackenzie Seats led the team with a .438 batting average. He also doubled 17 times, drove in 27 runs and as a pitcher, posted a 6-1 record with 4 saves and a 1.88 ERA.
Seats won two games during the state tournament, closing out an 8-4 victory over Farmington and tossing a complete-game three-hitter in the 6-1 semifinal victory over Watson Chapel.
“I knew I had a good defense behind me,” said Seats, who struck out six and walked three in the semifinal game. “Our confidence has been very high. We’ve known all along what our job was.”
The Bears’ next job is to figure out how to shut down Magnolia, a team that outscored its opponents 24-7 during the state tournament.
“I was very impressed with the one game I got to see them,” Tipton said of the Panthers. “They had 16 hits in that game. It was very impressive. … They’re just a very solid team. I don’t think they made an error in the tournament. They got hot at the right time. They were a No. 4 seed, but they’ve only lost six games this season and most of those games were by one or two runs. I expect it to be a war, just like I expect it to be every year.”