The Green Level baseball team entered this year’s Quad City 7 tournament with something that they haven’t always had in the past: momentum.
In years prior, Green Level hasn’t always been known as one of the top baseball programs in the conference. As a relatively new school in the area, only establishing in 2019, the team has spent its early years attempting to build consistency against more profound programs. However, this season, things have started to change.
This season was entirely different from tradition for the baseball team: records were broken, the Gators’ secured the most wins in a single season, totaling out to 15, and this team made the playoffs for only the second time; the first being in 2022.
Going into the Quad City 7 tournament, there were several key players who set new school records, building confidence inside of the team. Senior Isaiah Hytmiah set the school record for single season runs, stolen bases totaling to 18, and the record for triples in a season after he reached 5.
Additionally, Ben Bernard crushed the record for Runs Batted In in a single season once he reached 24, and these numbers only continue to increase.
This confidence carried over into the conference tournament. In the opening round, Green Level dominated Panther Creek with a convincing 9-1 victory, one of their most complete performances of the year.
“I think our success this season is obviously due to a lot of talent that all of our players have, but we’re also just really close and the chemistry is strong,” said Junior Luke Talley.
The Gators kept pushing forward throughout conference tournament play, but unfortunately, their run came to an end with a loss to Apex Friendship in the semifinals.
What makes this season special isn’t just their wins and losses, but it’s the shift in expectations. Instead of being overlooked, Green Level has proved they can compete with some of the strongest teams in the conference.
Now, the baseball team is looking ahead to the NCHSAA Class 8A Playoffs. This team is a team on the rise, and they’re only continuing to build their force.
