Two in a row: Sherwood baseball captures second 4A State Championship

by Judith Hruz

Editor

Three games into the season the Sherwood High School varsity baseball players made a big decision: They would do what they needed to do to win the state championship.

The Warriors won their first two games of the 2022 season, then lost, 17-7, to Churchill High School.

Coming off a state championship season in 2021, that was difficult to take.

“When you’re the state champ, obviously there’s added pressure” to do well the next season, Coach Sean Davis said.

Sherwood lost eight seniors to graduation last year, but “we had some talented kids, so we thought we’d be in the mix this season,” he said.

Still, losing 17-7 was tough.

“It was one of our worst losses,” he said.

After the Churchill game, Davis asked his players, “Do you think we could win another State Championship?”

The answer was a resounding and determined “yes.”

The Warriors never looked back, going on to win their second State Championship in a row – the first 4A team in state history to grab back-to-back titles.

Sherwood won every game through the remainder of the season – including a 4-2 playoff win over Churchill on May 10 and a 3-1 playoff win against Churchill on May 25 – to amass a 23-1 record.

“This group deserved the win,” Davis said. “They were talented – a really well-rounded group that all just did a good job. And the heart they had – I never had a group that cared about each other like they did.”

Davis added, “That’s what I love about Olney. It’s one of the last remaining community-based schools. Everyone – the kids, the teachers, the community – cares about each other.”

This year’s title is Sherwood’s fourth State Championship in school history.

Before the 2021 title, the last title was in 2010, just before Davis took over the head coaching position. Prior to his 11 seasons as varsity head coach, he was assistant coach to Billy Goodman, who was his coach when he played at Sherwood.

This was Sherwood’s fourth appearance in the state finals in the last six seasons.

Along the way to the second consecutive State Championship, Davis reached his 150^th career victory as the Warrior baseball coach after a 15-0 win against Paint Branch on April 1.

    When Davis was a student-athlete at Sherwood High School in the late ’90’s, he might have thought of having a career as a coach – after all, his dad was a college baseball coach, so it was in his genes – but he “never though the stars would align” in such a way as to not only allow him to return to his alma mater, but return as a successful coach.

    Davis, in his 11^th year as head coach of the baseball team – with one year off for the COVID-19 pandemic – thanked his assistant coaches – “all could be head coaches,” he told The Greater Olney News shortly after the 150^th milestone — and talented players, along with the support from parents, for the success of the Warriors.

    “Sherwood has always been successful” in baseball,” David said.

    And next year should be no different.

David said lots of players are coming back next season, including Amari Allen, who will be a senior.

Allen, a left-handed pitcher, hit .500 and tied the homerun record at 13