St. Andrew’s Episcopal School’s varsity baseball team set the school record for “most school records broken” May 17 when it took home the fifth state title in the program’s history and the Saints’ sixth athletic state championship of 2017-18.
The win gave the Saints their 33rd win of the season, which is the most wins by any team in Mississippi, as well as a school record for wins in a season. Additionally, the sixth state title concludes the 2017-18 school year as the most successful sports year in the 70-year history of St. Andrew’s. From a field of 46 3A schools in Mississippi, the Saints emerged victorious in baseball, boys basketball, boys cross country, boys swimming, girls track and field, and tennis.
Making school history, however, is not always easy.
“The journey to win a state championship has been going on for several years now, and we have been so close but have always seemed to fall short, until this season,” said Head Baseball Coach Mark Fanning. “We felt that we had a team returning for the 2018 baseball season that was experienced and talented enough to compete for a state championship.”
This year’s team returned with all of its pitchers, as well as most of the starters, from the 2017 season. The Saints saw a strong start to the year with a confidence-building 7-0 record. By the end of March, the team won 21 of their final 23 games to finish with an overall record of 33-6. This was followed by perfect division play with a 10-0 record and a 10-1 record in the playoffs.
While the team sailed through the regular season with tremendous success, according to Fanning, “The playoffs are where the fun really begins.”
After picking up sweeps over Jefferson County, Columbia, and West Marion, the Saints prepared to face long-time playoff rival, Seminary, for the South State Championship. After dropping Game 1 at home, the Saints responded by winning the next two to win the series, earning a trip to Trustmark Park to compete in the MHSAA 3A State Championship.
The championship series began with a 4-3 victory in Game 1, against North Pontotoc, giving the Saints momentum for the second - and ultimately final - game of the season. In Game 2, strong defense and clutch hitting kept the Saints’ spirits high. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the celebration began as Banks Tolley drove in Sam Roffwarg, both graduating seniors, with a sacrifice fly for the walk-off win and a final score of 3-2.
For Fanning, who has led the St. Andrew’s baseball program since 1998, winning the state championship has been well worth the wait.
“It feels great to set a goal for our season and accomplish it,” he said. “We talked about winning it all several times this season and believed that we were as good as any team we would face. Those wins at Trustmark Park, giving us the Championship, changed everything about our season. We had found a way to win and we were State Champions. At that point, nothing else mattered.”
This year’s title is Fanning’s first state championship as a coach in 21 years, not to mention the school’s first title in 33 years. What makes his program so successful, however, goes beyond the wins; Fanning is known for his development of players both on and off the field, giving each player a strong foundation not merely in baseball, but in life.
“We hope that our players leave our program with many great memories of the times spent with their teammates,” Fanning said. “There are many life lessons learned on the athletic fields, and we hope that our seniors can apply them as they move on to the next chapter of their lives. We hope that our returning players will continue to succeed at St. Andrew’s, both in the classroom and on the athletic fields. Each year brings new challenges, and I hope that things they have learned will help them conquer those new challenges as they arise.”
Having the opportunity to play for Fanning is one that student-athletes do not take lightly, as they are well aware of his impact as a role model and the lasting impact of his leadership.
“Playing for Coach Fanning has been amazing,” said graduating senior CJ Carron. “He has taught me so many valuable lessons both on and off the field. Of those lessons, the most influential on me has been his work ethic and dedication to the program. Almost every time I come to the school, Coach Fanning is working on the field or tidying up the locker room. These extra hours are not to benefit himself; rather, his work only benefits his players and his school. Coach has taught me not only how to be a hard worker, but how to be selfless. He has done so much for me and for the other players on this team, and I do not know how I ever could possibly repay him.”
Carron and Roffwarg will continue their baseball careers at Rhodes College.
“I feel like playing in college will be a fun and manageable experience,” Carron said. “While he is kind to us, Coach Fanning definitely asks a lot out of his players in terms of time commitment and dedication; so, I feel as though I am ready for the time commitment that college baseball requires.”
As Fanning prepares for next season, he looks back fondly on this year and how far this team - and this program - has come.
“The 2018 St. Andrew’s baseball team will always be a special one for me, and the memories we had during this season will last forever,” he said. “We’ve had so many teams get so close the last several years, and I hope that all of those players will feel that this is their championship, too. I have always heard that in order to fully appreciate winning a state championship, you had to experience losing one first. Our team had lost in the state championship two years ago, and this team took the lessons learned and made sure it did not happen again. This team played with confidence at Trustmark Park and seemed right at home as they brought home the state title and the Gold Glove Trophy for St. Andrew’s. The journey has been incredible, and it was so much fun to watch our seniors win that last game and go out on top.”
(photo) Members (from left, back) Head Coach Mark Fanning, Jack Hirchert, Walter Johnson, Noel Wiggs, Nathan Barham, Dickson Ray, Cameron Daniels, Holland Townes, assistant coach Dolph Woodall, assistant coach Chris Burgess; (middle row) Matthew Azordegan, Andrew Carron, Jack Ferguson, Aaron Cooper, Nolan Turner, Charley Blount, David DuCote, Evan Bowman, Seth McCaughan, Jake Mitchell, Web Watkins; (front) Asher Parks, assistant coach Josh Parks, Rolen Fanning, Tanner Hendrix, CJ Carron, Banks Tolley, Sam Roffwarg, Avery Thomas, John Mychal Warren, James Polk, Brett Ashy, and Trey Hebert
