EVANS -- Wayne Vickery coached his way to five state championships with Gainesville baseball -- and the outgoing Gainesville High athletic director sees similarities between one of those title winners and the 2015 squad.
“In 1998 we had to win our last game of the regular season to even get into the state playoffs,” Vickery said. “That team graduated eight of nine starters and had no expectations, and yet they built some incredible momentum and went on to win it all.
“This team (the 2015 Red Elephants) reminds of that 1998 team. They are very resilient”
Starting today, Gainesville baseball will look to notch the most important similarity with 1998, as the Red Elephants gun for their first state championship since the Vickery era when they travel to take on Greenbrier in Evans (first pitch of Game 1 of a Class AAAAA championship doubleheader is set for 3 p.m.).
Gainesville (28-6) is aiming to break a 13-year championship drought and notch the program’s eighth state title. But they know it won’t come easy against a Wolfpack (28-3) team looking for its sixth championship and first since 2007.
“Greenbrier’s got great baseball too, and they’re not going to go easy on us,” said Vickery, who will be in attendance in his final sporting event with the Red Elephants. “It would be a very special way for me to go out. I’m excited for this team. They’ve been a lot of fun to watch.”
A former Gainesville standout that played on the Red Elephants’ last championship squad -- 2002 -- has also enjoyed his moments watching the Red Elephants this season, and he too sees something special with this latest group.
“I’m pumped; me and my brother pulled out an old VHS tape of our 2001 state championship team and watched it the other night -- it seems like yesterday,” said Micah Owings, who played on Gainesville’s 2001-02 title winners before going on to a collegiate and MLB career. “This is a time for these guys to soak up the moment, because they’re going to remember this for the rest of their lives.”
It’s an eye-opening statement indeed coming from a man that spent plenty of time in Major League Baseball clubhouses.
In fact, Owings -- who recently had his jersey retired by Gainesville -- shared some of the wisdom he soaked up in one of those clubhouses with the current crop of Red Elephants.
“I was getting ready to play against the Braves in Atlanta for the first time and I was feeling pretty nervous because of all the people I knew would be watching me,” Owings said. “So I talked to a veteran standout, Tony Clark, and he gave me some great advice. I shared that with the Gainesville players. He told me just to, ‘control the controllables.’ That’s what these guys need to think about. They just need to keep doing what’s gote them there and compete till the last out. They can’t worry about all the stuff surrounding these games, just control what they can control in each game.”
Gainesville has shown an impressive ability to do just that so far this postseason, concentrating and coming up with clutch plays in key moments to surge into a championship series for the first time since 2002.
“Momentum can take you a long way, and this team is very confident,” said Vickery, who knows well the challenge Gainesville faces, as he has coached two of Greenbrier’s standouts on a summer All-Star team. “(Greenbrier pitcher) Nick Sandlin and (Wolfpack first baseman/pitcher) Adam Sasser are both incredible players. Sandlin is only 6-foot, 150 pounds, but he can bring it. He’ll be as good a pitcher as we’ve seen all year. And Sasser is just huge. And they are both ungodly competitors. We’ve got a huge challenge ahead.
“Of course we’ve also beaten three good clubs in a row, and, yes, Greenbrier might be the No. 1 in the state, but at 3 p.m. Monday, both teams are 0-0. And anyone can win at that point.”
Vickery too hopes Gainesville’s 2015 squad takes time to enjoy the moment.
“I can tell you everything that happened in all five state championships I coached in,” Vickery said. “This is something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
Doubt it? Just ask him about Gainesville’s route to the 1998 title.
“Eric Smithson had a two-out, two-strike hit to win the game against Loganville to get us into state,” Vickery said.
Gainesville would be thrilled to continue with a few more of those moments on Monday.
-- NOTE: You can listen to all of the action from Evans live, as we broadcast each contest on 1240 AM ESPN Radio.