The Kingsley-Pierson baseball team competed in their sixth-straight substate final on Tuesday night, but this one did not go their way falling in five innings to top-ranked Akron-Westfield by a score of 13-0.
Six consecutive substate finals is no easy task. Only 16 teams in a class make their substate final, and that amounts to about 13% of Class 1A schools. Head coach Taylor Doeschot says having lofty goals helps set apart the Panther programs from others in the state.
As for the game, the Panthers were held in check by Akron-Westfield pitcher Nathan Gaswint. The Westerner ace allowed just two total baserunners with a hit and a walk and struck out 11 in five innings. Coach Doeschot says his high velocity is something that you cannot always prepare for.
The Panther baseball team says “so long” to just three seniors off this year’s team, but they have been a part of some strong Panther teams. They were eighth-graders when the team went to state in 2020 and got the chance to soak it all in during the 2022 and 2023 state tournament runs. Coach Doeschot says all three were great leaders and had incredible work ethics.
Much like any program with sustained success, the Panthers do not plan to rebuild. They plan to get right back to this point last season with plenty of underclassmen starters who gained valuable experience. Coach Doeschot hopes this season’s experience will lead to another return trip to the state tournament.
The Panthers end their season with a record of 18-12.
