FORT SMITH -- After a dogpile celebration for winning the American Legion AAA state baseball championship, there were plenty of photos taken and hugs exchanged for the Fort Smith Sportsman.
There were smiles and chuckles as well reflecting on their unlikely title journey. Baseball is full of ups and downs. Fort Smith Sportsman coach Trey Prieur knows that as well as anybody. This season was a crash-course reminder with the Sportsman driving on a winding road that eventually ended in victory lane.
Even just moments after winning it all needing six consecutive victories in the tournament, Prieur couldn't help thinking about how much the team had grown over the summer. He thought back to a late June tournament trip to Omaha, Neb., where the team finished 2-4 and lost three games by five runs.
"I have never been more proud of a group than this one," Prieur said. "We talked with the parents and kids together, and I asked who would've thought after Omaha that we would be here? There were quite a few laughs. We weren't quite jelling yet. But they figured it out and came together over the summer.
"They stayed the course."
The campaign continues for the Sportsman, who now advance to the American Legion regional tournament in Pelham, Ala. Double-elimination play begins Wednesday with eight teams from Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi with the winner advancing to a World Series appearance.
Prieur said his team is not ready for their season to end and is playing its best baseball at the right time.
"We couldn't be more excited for our staff and the players," Prieur said. "They do it right at these regionals. We will have a charter bus, a welcome meal, an opening ceremony and the games are live streamed. The Sportsman haven't been to one of these since the 1990s. We are excited to keep things going and look to make even more history."
There was a quiet but confident resolve throughout the Sportsman team entering the state tournament. The flashes of brilliance were there over the course of the regular season. But it wasn't sustained, as the squad had not won a tournament all year and missed bracket play during several weekend trips.
The Sportsman opened up state tournament pool play advancing with a pair of decisive victories. But then a fork in the road appeared with an 11-5 loss to begin bracket play to Texarkana. Six consecutive wins later, the team celebrated the second title in three seasons under the lights on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas.
Prieur looks back and points at the loss to Texarkana as a big reason the Sportsman were able to win it all after a quick regroup.
"Things started really well for us winning the pool," Prieur said. "But we made some mistakes and didn't play our ball in the Texarkana game. We thought, man, are we going back to the old way of doing things? Then they just refused to be beaten. We could dwell on the loss or we could move on. That's what we did. Guys bought in with the pitching plans and we found a way.
"I'm so proud of them."
After dropping into the loser's bracket, the Sportsman took down Mountain Home, Texarkana, El Dorado, Bryant and Paragould twice for the program's ninth overall state championship with the first dating back to 1954 with the team was then known as Kerwin's.
There were plenty of individual heroics along the way. Ben Brooks, who was named the tournament MVP, provided solid innings in the championship game and two walk-off hits in bracket play, including one to set up a winner-take-all game against Paragould.
Steffan Fak, who was named the tournament's most outstanding pitcher, helped the Sportsman get to the deciding game with a stellar relief appearance. He tossed 102 pitches in 6 2/3 innings of work to close out a 6-4 victory in an elimination game.
Logan Taylor righted the ship with a win on the mound after the team's lone loss in the tournament. The left-hander pitched all seven innings and had six strikeouts in an 11-1 bounce-back win against Mountain Home to keep the dream alive. He also provided plenty of big hits, as he hit .538 during the state tournament run.
The usual suspects that have delivered all season made big impacts as well with Paxton Pitts, Jett Frazier, Reed Carroll, Eli Gilreath, Eli Caldarera, Will Rollans and McCade Moody all playing key roles.
"Every game was something different with guys providing," Prieur said. "We finally put it all together. We have been waiting for this all season. If we could find the right chemistry, mojo or just start clicking, the sky's the limit. They certainly did. It was a complete team effort. That's our way of doing things year in and year out. We told the guys all summer once it gets down to the state tournament, it will take every single one of us."