LINCOLN -- Based on the strength of his bonds with Lincoln senior athletes, Drew Harris is motivated to send the Class of 2014 out with a state title in baseball.
Drew is a man on a mission especially after the Wolves have come so close to playing for a state baseball crown in 2012 and 2013.
Year Of Firsts
"Three years in-a-row at Lincoln we've been beaten out by the eventual state champion, even in football this season we got beat by the best [Booneville 2013 4A football champion]," Drew said, referring to a 35-0 loss at Booneville in the State quarterfinal after Lincoln not only recorded the first-ever football playoff win in school history at home with a 27-13 win over perennial power Nashville, but also beat another traditional football giant, Malvern, 41-21, on the road.
Drew chose not to go out for basketball this season despite knowing the Wolves returned their entire roster and were poised for a repeat trip to state, which they made and recorded Lincoln's first-ever win at the tournament (49-44) against Bauxite on Mar. 6.
This was an unselfish move knowing his presence on the squad might diminish playing time for seniors Tyler Cummings and Dalton Simmons both coming off injuries.
Instead Drew focused on baseball wanting to put away ghosts of the pasts.
Unfavorable Game Call
"My freshman year [2011-12] we played Genoa Central and lost 1-0. The whole week we stayed down there [the tourney was held at Prescott], it was probably the most fun I've had. We'd go to Lake DeGray and play wiffle ball every day after the game and swim."
Drew's grandparents played host to the team, lavishing southern hospitality upon the Wolves. Yet, the excursion to southern Arkansas was marred by a "no-call" when umpires ignored the base-running tactics of Blake Sullivan, Genoa Central's starting pitcher, who made no effort to avoid plowing over Lincoln catcher, Dustin Simmons, while trying to get a run across the plate in the fourth inning of what was then a scoreless state semifinal.
Sullivan was ruled out, yet continued to pitch before eventually hurting the Wolves with his bat by hitting a homer with nobody aboard in the two innings later.
According to Lincoln coach Brad Harris the home plate umpire ruled Sullivan wasn't intending to hurt Simmons.
"But it wasn't a question of whether he was trying to hurt him or not. Typically if you don't avoid contact the player is thrown out of the game."
"It is what it is and it didn't come out in our favor," Brad Harris said.
While his coach and father downplayed the incident acting as a role model, Drew remembers the sting of that loss.
A controversial call takes it away from you."
Understudy Steps Up
As a freshman Drew watched a pair of top-notch pitchers on the Lincoln staff, Zach Summers and Cheyenne Vaughn, lead the Wolves to a 29-5 record. Vaughn was twice an All-State performer at quarterback for the Wolves while Drew quarterbacked the junior high team. Drew also played basketball with Summers and Vaughn and inherited the starting quarterback job as a sophomore when Vaughn transferred.
Drew also became a starting pitcher in baseball and was on the mound when the Wolves advanced to the 2013 state baseball quarterfinals losing 6-4 to Arkadelphia, a team Brad Harris coached before coming to Lincoln.
"Drew and Coach Harris knew practically the whole Arkadelphia baseball team. It was kind of like a rivalry game to them. It was a game they really wanted to win," said senior Colton Barnum. "It was all rough on us. Drew was really emotional about it because he pitched and gave up six runs so he was thinking it was his fault but everybody on the team knows it wasn't just him that we all made errors."
"So we all went up to him and told him he pitched a good game so he didn't really have to worry about what happened that day."
Opportunity In 2014
Drew and Lincoln may have expelled those sort of disappointments from their system early this season.
Drew started against Stillwater, Okla. In the Bulldog Classic tournament hosted by Springdale but had to step down from the mound after three innings due to experiencing tightness in his throwing arm. At that point he had allowed only one hit and a run, which involved a Lincoln error.
With two outs Lincoln battled valiantly in their last at-bat in the top of the seventh with Drew reaching safely when Pioneer catcher Gage Hines dropped a third strike. Emilio Marrufo drove Drew in with an RBI double, then scored himself on Dakota Riggin's single to narrow the gap to 4-2.
Yet, Lincoln left 9 runners on base and Stillwater went on to win in what was their closest call, en route to claiming the tourney championship.
With the burp out of the way, Drew wants to win a state baseball championship.
"We've got a shot. We've known the past couple of years we've been very good in baseball. Lincoln is a baseball town."
"We've known this is probably going to be our best shot to win a state championship. Our seniors are just all-around athletes, they contribute more than half our team."
"Even just playing with them is an honor. We've been playing together since we were little. We've got that chemistry. We play well together."
Sports on 04/09/2014