Breaking Down The Baseball Finals | Varsity Vibe

The Arkansas high school baseball finals begin on Thursday in Hot Springs at Majestic Park. Kevin Bohannon has joined Alyssa Orange over the season and joins once again to break down the championship match-ups in each classification. 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 1:36

Welcome in at the VarsityVe. I'm your host, Alyssa Orange, and thank you so much for joining us. And I am excited to share another conversation with you as it is championship weekend. Of course, we're getting ready for all those championship games down in Hot Springs at Majestic Park and at Hot Springs Lakeside for soccer. That's where boys and girls soccer is going to be. But baseball and softball gonna be at Majestic Park. If you missed my conversation with Kyle Sutherland about the softball championships, go back and check that out. And of course, we're now gonna talk baseball and joined by Kevin Bohanan, who has been covering baseball around the state uh really for the last decade or more. He was even a player in this state. And so he knows this game and these players and these coaches better than anybody. We've had him on our show a couple of times this season, and we're excited to break down these championship matchups with him. So enjoy this conversation with Kevin Bohannan. Well, we have had the pleasure of having Kevin Bohanan join us throughout the season. And Kevin, we've made it to championship week. I know you're gonna be on the broadcast doing some games with me doing some softball games, but I know you're excited to see how things unfold in Hot Springs. Before we break it down by classification, just overall looking at how things went in the state tournament, what really caught your attention?

SPEAKER_00 2:47

You know, the the biggest thing was there there weren't too many surprises. Uh, usually in class five A, there's a number four seed that will upset a one in the first round. We had three of those uh number four seeds last year beat a one. Two of them made it to the semifinal. We did not have a single one this year. Uh so the the favorites made it uh in class four A, all four number one seeds made it to the semifinals. Uh, and then you know, in the lower classifications, the heavyweights uh continued to swing uh their weight around it and made it to the finals. Um, I guess the biggest surprise was, you know, in class six A, I thought we were headed for a Conway Rogers uh Battle Royale in the finals, but uh the the two three seeds had other things on their mind with Springdale Harbor, Dustin Helmkamp looking to win their fourth state championship, and then uh Garrett Bach, the third generation uh baseball coach, his father Kirk Bach won four state championships at Bryant, his grandfather Billy Bach, of course, is a Hall of Famer from Pine Bluff. Uh his second year, Garrett takes the Hornets to the state championship game.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Yeah, some crazy, crazy action in the 6A. So let's start there. I mean, Harbor had to dig deep and battle with Rogers, same with Bryant coming back and getting that win against Conway. And I think you're right. Everyone kind of thought that Rogers would defend its title, but here we are with the Wildcats and the Hornets. And I think it's fun. You know, I know if you're a Bryant or a Conway guy or a Rogers and Conway fan watching, I apologize, but it is fun to see two new teams in the 6A finals this year.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Yeah, you know, uh Harbor, when they won their back-to-back state championships a couple of years ago, uh, they beat West teams. They beat, you know, Rogers one year when they threw the no-hitter, and they beat Bentonville the year before that. Uh, you go back to 2018, they beat Conway uh with Blake Adams on the mound. And so they they haven't beaten a central team in the championship game since 2018. So, you know, Bryant offers up uh a gritty, determined team that really is playing their best baseball right now. They were in a 5'6 spot, you know, with about two weeks left to play. They started playing better, and they got to that number three spot. So that set them up really well uh for their draw. And I think you know, their draw really helped them uh to get to the state championship game. They beat Bentonville West, then they beat Bentonville uh with pitching and defense. Look, you know, Bryant teams, you think back over when you know Kirk Bach won it in 10, 12, 14, and 16, they did it with a lot of pitching and defense. Evan Lee, who went to the University of Arkansas, Zach Jackson, who went to Arkansas State. Um, and you know, they did it with a lot of pitching and defense and hard nosed uh fundamentally sound baseball. So uh that's how Bryant got there. And then it was funny what watching the Conway game, and you know, I had some really good friends that were officials in that game. Uh, and shout out to the umpires, they did a great job across all six classifications. But you know, Conway was throwing everything they had to had Nate Wanamaker, and then they put Max Holland on the mound, and Bryant just kept hitting it where they I mean, it was the Bull Durham quote all over again hit it where they ain't, boys. That's exactly what Bryant was doing. And you know, shout out, they scored six six runs in extra innings to win 12 to 6. And then Harbor, you know, as good as Rogers and you know, Fayetteville and Bentonville were this year. Harbor was really the team that was just kind of overlooked, and that's not normal considering they've won uh two out of the last three state championships, and they did it, they didn't do it with you know some high-profile guys that are going division one. Uh, they just had a good collective group of kids uh that overcame a lot of adversity. They thumped Little Rock Christ in the quarterfinals 11 to 5. Uh, and then the top of the seventh scored four runs against Rogers, got the starter out, and got it to extra innings and then made the magic happen.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Yeah, I'm excited for that. I mean, two battles, which have been really fun to watch in this championship game, I think is not going to be any different. When you look at 5A, I think we all knew that Valley View was going to be here. And of course, that one the state tournament hosted at Green County Tech. But when I went and I looked at how Benton beat Green County Tech, I was like, whoa, okay, look at Benton. And then they find themselves once again in the state championship.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

Yeah, that Benton Green County Tech game was crazy. Uh Benton jumped out to a quick, you know, kind of 3-2 lead. Green County Tech, you know, pitching-wise, they just they started walking some guys, and uh they they threw they started the farmer kid, and then they brought in Derek Runyon, who and Andy Andy is Derek's dad. Andy and I played together at Mills in the late 90s, and you know, Derek's a great ball player. He's only a sophomore, and they won their first two games with sophomores on the mat. Sid Palma uh shut out Lake Hamilton, and then Brooks Robinson, you know, they held Mountain Home to one run. So uh Derek was carving them up, you know, throwing that 75-76 mile per hour fastball, and then you know, curveball, knuckleball, change up after that. But Green County Tech scored and got up seven to three, and we were like, all right, uh this is gonna be a high intense, you know, high intensity ball game towards the end. And Benton scored nine runs the next inning, and just you know, got up 12 to 7 and they put it away. Uh Little Curry, Chris Curry's son, uh hit a home run, three-run home run. Uh that put the game really out of reach. So uh Benton last state championship, their only state championship, the Panthers have won, was in 2009. Uh, they haven't been since 2019. Uh, they lost to Sheridan that year. The year before that, they lost to Connor Nolan, uh Peyton Holt and the Greenwood Bulldogs, uh, and where they didn't score a run in those two state championship games. Then 2015, they lost to Sheridan 10-9. Uh, that was uh people remember Drew Harris that went to Washtaw Baptist and then is now coaching at Benton. Uh, I think he's moved on since then, but uh coach Mark Ballister, one of the original godfathers of Arkansas baseball coaches, uh, he's getting back to a state championship game. And then Valley View, what can you say? The powerhouse, the pack, six straight state championships. They're going for their third straight win. And it doesn't matter who the players are, they're gonna keep still in bases, pitching defense, and playing good fundamental baseball. Josh Allison has built a dynasty in Northeast Arkansas, and if you think back, Alyssa, and you know, we we know how everything has kind of changed in Northeast Arkansas to where at one point everything was centered around Jonesboro. They were the biggest school, they got the best athletes and everything. And now it's really kind of spread out. You got Brooklyn, you got Gosnell, who's won state championships. Uh, now you got Valley View, who, you know, since 2009, you know, they've been one of the top teams in class 4A and 5A. So they've won their state championships over two different classifications. Really talented team. Levi Martin, uh, three-hit shutout in round one. They beat Greenbrier and Will Wright in game two, six to two, and then they took care of business against Van Buren 14-2 in round three in the semifinals. So should be a great state championship game. These two teams have played each other in the regular season the last two years. Be interested to see what happens in the state championship.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Yeah, absolutely. Let's go to the 4-A nine. You mentioned Brooklyn there and what they've been able to do. They find themselves in the state championship game, and they're gonna play Pulaski Academy. And you said this was a 4-A classification where this year, no surprises.

SPEAKER_00 10:23

Yeah, no surprises at all. All four number one seeds made it to the state uh semifinals. Brooklyn was the one that pulled the upset. Uh, they beat Shiloh Christian and beat them 19 to 7. Now, take let's take back Shiloh Christian, what they had done in five postseason matchups to that point. They had run ruled every opponent except one. And the one opponent they didn't run rule was Monticello in the quarterfinals, and they beat them six to nothing. So Brooklyn playing the underdog role. Josh Baker's club, you know, the last two years, they've been kind of that middle team right after that top tier that people are like, well, Brooklyn's good, but I don't think they're deep enough. Well, they showed they're deep enough this year. They got past Dardanel, the conference champion in round one, uh, and a really good pitcher in Hernandez. Uh Griff Silverthorn for Brooklyn uh had a complete or had six innings in that game, but Cooper Bodie's hitting over 550 this year as a senior. They beat Nashville, the home team. Uh they were the host, of course, in Foray, nine to eight and a quarters. And then, like we said, the 19-7 win over Shiloh just kind of shocked the state in the way that they did it. So uh the Bearcats are back. They had a 35-year gap between their first state championship appearance and their second, and now they're back for uh a second year in a row. So they're gonna take on the PA Bruins. And Denny Tipton comes out of retirement, gets to Pulaski Academy. He had a really good situation. He was the athletic director at Sylvan Hills, and I talked to him in the in the offseason. He was like, Well, I kind of had the itch to get back in it. And you know, some of you know, you've been around coaches long enough, and I've known Denny since I was a young kid. Uh, he went to the high school that my dad coached at, and then I got to play against Denny as a player, and I ended up getting to coach with him at Sylvan Hills. Uh, so he's one of the best. He's won he's won state championships at Sylvan Hills. Now he gets to try to do it at Pulaski Academy. Should be a very well-pitched matchup. Uh, both teams have really good arms. Uh Ace Deweys is likely going to start for Plaska Academy. Uh, and then you got William Svoboda who's going to UCA, Max Conine, Major Jackson. So a lot of well-known names in that 4-H State Championship.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Yeah, it should be fun. We're going to keep rolling down the list here in the 3A. Harmony Grove going to play Ashdown. What sticks out to you about this matchup?

SPEAKER_00 12:42

Ashtown is playing their best baseball at the right time of the year. They finished fourth in the regional. They didn't win a conference championship after they won a state championship last year. Coming into last year, they were 0 for 6 in state championship games. Finally got across the finish line against Genoa Central, their conference rival last year. Well, they had to get back to state championship. They had to go through Genoa Central once again. The tables had turned this time. Genoa won the conference. They won the regional. They were the number one seed. So Ashdown coming in as the fourth seed. They had two one-run games, 3-2 in the semifinals and 2-1 over Perryville in the quarterfinals. So Ashdown's that underdog this year after being the favorite in all of 2025. Harmony Grove. Now, it's funny because I talked to a lot of people and they're like, well, I don't think they have the offense that that can really do it. And I'm like, well, you got a Texas Tech signee on the mound. I think you can beat just about anybody. And they've done it this year. You know, they shut out Flippin' 5-0 in the first round. Then they beat Smackover, who was really good out of that uh 8-2-8 or 8-7-2-A conference. Then they beat Valley Springs, who had had a really good year out of region two. They were the Region 2 champs. So Haskell Harmony Grove, Brandon Manier, they made it in the state finals 2019. They beat CAC that year. It's going to be a really good matchup against Ashtown this season.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

Yeah. I mean, the the the amount of and level of softball and baseball that's going to happen at Majestic Park. I mean, I don't really know if you're a fan, how you bounce around to all these things.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

One coach he he said, he said, Kevin, are they move? Are they going to bring seating in for this? Because I don't see how it's going to they're going to get everybody in there. I'm like, they're going to let lawn chairs. They're just going to be lined up and down. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Two or three deep.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

That's what you love to see.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Exactly. I mean, we were there for the GAC baseball tournament a few weekends ago at the beginning of May. And that was kind of the thing. It's like this is a beautiful facility. Where is everyone going to sit? So there is limited bleachers. But yes, if you're listening, bring your lawn chair. All right. Here to the two-way. You have Woodlawn and uh Palestine Wheatley. What about this matchup?

SPEAKER_00 14:51

Two teams that have faced each other before in a state championship game 2023. Uh Woodlawn was the overwhelming favorite at that point. I remember calling that game thinking, all right, this will probably be a run rule, and we'll we'll get out of here and get on to the next one. Not so much. Palestine Wheatley dropped a fly ball in the outfield that allowed two uh Woodlawn Bears to come around and score. Uh Woodlawn hasn't played at the level that they're used to under Tommy Richardson. They lost an early season conference game to Washita. Riverside run ruled them early in the season. I think it was 11 to 1. Uh, and then they're kind of figuring out right there. They only have one college signee on this roster. So for Tommy Richardson, that's a down year. It's kind of like Dave Van Horn. Oh, they're not top five in the nation, they're top 10 or top 12. So Woodlawn uh got on a hot streak, they won their regional tournament, then they made it to a state championship. They had a really good draw. They beat Sloan Hendricks 11-1. Then they took down Bigelow, a scrappy Bigelow Panther team 9-5. Then they got the river, the Riverside rematch in the semifinals. Uh, the defending state champion, Riverside Rebels, did not have enough. Woodlawn took them down three to two. Uh, now they get to face Palestine Wheatley. Andrew Knowl, remember this. He's got 354 strikeouts in his career. It's a top 10 number in Arkansas High School baseball history for strikeouts in a career. They've only allowed one run in their state championship run so far. That was uh in the first round against Hackett, 4-1. Then they beat Tuckerman 11-0, Baptist Prep 9-0. So you got another four seed, just like Ashdown in 4-A. Palestine Wheatley's playing really good baseball. They set the school record for RBIs in a season. So a lot of really good senior leadership on that team and senior experience. Last time they were here, uh, three years ago, they lost a close one. Some say they may be the favorite in this state championship game against Woodlawn.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Wow. Wow, what a matchup. That's gonna be fun. All right, look, no surprise here, right? Same on the softball side. You get to the 1A, and of course, we're gonna talk about Taylor, and it's more about who does Taylor play than anything else, and they get Mount Ida this year.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

That's right. And Mount Ida, just like in class 2A, those two teams, uh, these two teams played each other uh back in 2023. Taylor won that game 9-3. That was the first ever state championship appearance uh for Mount Ida at the time, and uh they come in a little different this year. Uh Kane McCullough hitting over, I think he's hitting 559. He's got seven home runs. He's been really good on the mound. So I think they have a really good shot. Now, these two teams come out of the same region, they know each other. You got Taylor uh that's in the 8-281A, Mount Ida's in the uh 7-1A, so they they know each other really well. Uh TJ Wilson, really good young coach, and then Brian Fowler uh for the Taylor Tigers. It's like you asked me last time, what's going on at Taylor? They're still winning. And I heard you made the comment on the the GAC game that that morning, uh the 9 30 game on that Saturday. Uh, what are they doing? They're still winning. Of course, they're still winning in baseball. Yeah, still winning. Uh they got past uh Columbian Christian, who good friend Matt Goodhart, former Razorback, all ACC outfielder designated hitter, uh is coaching Columbian Christian. Uh, they were able to get past those guys 12-2. Um 6-0 over Midland. That was a conference champion that Taylor beat. And then the toughest game so far of the state tournament for the Tigers was their first round matchup against West Side Grews Ferry. That was the state championship game last year. Uh Taylor won that matchup 7-5. So two teams that know each other really well. Uh, Jacob Vandenberg was the 2025 MVP on the mound for the Tigers. Guess what? He's back again, Alyssa. He'll be starting on the mound for Taylor uh on, let's see, on Friday.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Yeah, yeah. It's gonna be fun. And and as we've talked about, it's gonna be an exciting one in Hot Springs. When it gets to this week, uh, Kevin, what's your favorite part about championship weekend in general?

SPEAKER_00 19:04

I think the biggest thing is in whether it was at Fayetteville for the weekend of champions or Benton, UCA, it's getting to see all of your friends in one place, so to speak. So whether it's umpires, coaches, former players that that flock back to these state finals, uh, you get to just sit around and talk ball and tell stories about a lot of things. Uh things have changed a little bit, of course, with TV. You have replay now and all the technology. Don't worry, fans, we're not using the ABS system, uh, but you do have six really good umpiring crews that are going to be out there. And just getting to sit around and talk and tell stories, you know. Mark Balasteri, who just like Denny Tipton, I've known since I was a player back in the late 90s, and at the Arkansas Baseball uh Coaches Association convention back in December, um, I got to speak that morning before Alan Gum, Coach Balasteri, uh Coach Harlan at UCA. And I was kind of joking around. I was like, well, I've been on the field twice now and kept Mark Balastari from winning a state championship. Once in 1999, we beat him in the quarterfinals eight to five. Uh, and then 2015, I was an umpire on the field when Sheridan beat him 10 to 9. So hopefully I won't stand in the way as a you know, member of the media and as a color analyst, uh, keeping Benton from getting to a state championship and winning one this season. So uh you get guys like that that have been around, they're doing it for the kids and how they've changed how they coach in in this era of baseball. And the same can be said for softball. These coaches that have been around 25, 30 years have really kind of had to adjust how they do things. And to to see that and get to talk about it, it is the thing that I really enjoy.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Yeah, absolutely. Well, hey, I'm excited too. And if I can find any time in between some of our softball broadcasts to sneak over to baseball, you know I'm gonna do it. So hopefully I run into you down in hot springs, safe travels down there, and thank you so much for joining us all season long.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Absolutely, Alyssa. Anytime.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

Always knowledgeable, always great insight there from Kevin Bohannan. So again, thank him for joining us. We also want to encourage you to follow along because we're gonna have some great content from these championship games on our social media. That is Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, all of that there for you to consume over the weekend with games starting on Thursday, going all the way through Saturday. So a great place to get all of that championship material. We also want to encourage you to sign up for our newsletter at varsityvibearkansal.com. That comes to your inbox twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. And while you're at it, subscribe to the YouTube and subscribe to wherever you get your podcasts. Again, this is VarsityVibe. I'm your host, Alyssa Orange, and we'll see you next time.

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