Anybody who knows me knows that I love baseball.
Some relatives have told me I'm a walking encyclopedia when it comes to baseball, and while that's not entirely accurate, there are some truths in that.
The 2020 season would have been my 11th covering Siloam Springs baseball. Unfortunately, due to the covid-19 pandemic I didn't get to see the Panthers play any of their seven games, which were all on the road.
It's unfortunate in so many ways, really, because there were a lot of things about this 2020 Panther baseball team that I was looking forward to covering.
For one, you have a group of seniors in this class that had been starting on the varsity level since since they were sophomores and some of them since they were freshmen. You feel for Taylor Pool, Reed Willbanks, Isaac Price, Dalton Cook and the rest of the Panthers. It's been since 2016 that Siloam Springs had advanced to the state playoffs, and I really felt like this was a group that was capable of ending that streak.
When I started covering Siloam Springs baseball in the spring of 2010, the Panthers were marred in a similar streak, having not reached the postseason since 2006.
After a slow start to the 2010 season, Siloam Springs got red hot in April and May and finished with an 8-6 record in the 5A-West to clinch a playoff spot to end that skid.
It was an exciting end to the season for sure.
And there have been moments since then, but often few and far between for the Panther baseball program.
I've had an up-close view through it all. Often, because I am also taking pictures on the field, I sit close or inside the dugout and get an insider's perspective.
Thanks to the Panther players and coaches over the years for putting up with a baseball-loving sportswriter.
2010 -- a special run
Heading in to the 2010 season, the Panthers had only made the playoffs three times in baseball -- 1992, 1993 and 2006.
With an 0-10 start to the season in 2010, there weren't many indications that this Panther team would be the one to snap that streak.
But the really neat thing about indications is that they can be totally wrong.
Siloam Springs swept Vilonia and swept Morrilton to get into the thick of the 5A-West Conference race and split with Central Arkansas Christian and Alma, which included a 12-inning come-from-behind win against the Airedales in the second game of a doubleheader.
This set up a crucial doubleheader showdown with Harrison, where the Panthers needed to win at least one of the games to clinch a playoff spot.
And on a beautiful afternoon at James Butts Baseball Park on May 7, 2010, the Panthers got the job done.
Luke Hulse hit a walk-off three-run home run to give the Panthers an 18-15 win in Game 1 in what was one of the more exciting games I've ever covered for baseball.
Justin Gray and Clayton Rowe also hit home runs in Game 1 for the Panthers, and Hulse hit another three-run home run in Game 2 as the Panthers run-ruled Harrison 13-3 to complete the sweep.
All in all, it was a great day for Panther baseball.
After the 0-10 start, that team finished 9-17 and lost in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs to Monticello.
I'll remember that Panther team as being one of the best offensively I've covered here.
There was Hulse, who finished with seven home runs. Shortstop Justin Gray had three home runs, while catcher Zach Houston also had a good year.
Sophomore Braden Pippin hit two home runs, and Rowe, a transfer from Hope, came on strong on the mound for the Panthers. Dusty Rhodes also won several games for Siloam Springs and played an effective role in relief.
Lean years
The 2011 and 2012 Panthers had their chances but fell short of qualifying for the playoffs.
The 2013 and 2014 teams received automatic bids to the Class 6A postseason because of the way the conferences were configured, but those were lean and hard years for Siloam Springs.
The low point came at the end of the 2013 season when Van Buren throttled the Panthers 37-2 in the final game of a doubleheader. It was just one of those crazy things in baseball where it got out of hand, and short of calling the game there was nothing that could be done to stop it.
The baseball staff changed over twice during this time as well. Jonathan Johnson and Dwain Pippin were reassigned to football only after the 2013 season, and Jacob Gill and Josh Killian took over in 2014 but only for one season.
The 2013 and 2014 teams won a combined four games.
Current baseball coach Alan Hardcastle was hired and the Panthers showed signs of snapping out of their lull in 2015.
The 2015 team finished with a 4-18 record and missed the postseason, but late wins against Alma and Greenwood in 7A/6A-Central Conference play offered hope that Siloam Springs could be on the way up.
Left-hander Raiff Beever had some terrific pitching performances for the 2014 and 2015 teams that were memorable -- wins and losses.
2016 Panthers fun to watch
There were early indications that the 2016 Panthers weren't going to be denied.
A group of seniors led by Zac Bolstad, Dodge Pruitt, Kaleb Francis and Kyle Comiskey, and a good group of juniors -- including Chandler Cook, Dawson Armstrong, Josh Hunt, Chance Junkermann, Eli Hawbaker and Logan Hamilton -- helped the Panthers win 12 games overall.
They thumped Rogers Heritage 13-5 early in the season. On spring break, Cook threw a 5-0 shutout of Memphis University School, and in conference play, the Panthers rallied from a 7-0 deficit to come back and beat Little Rock Catholic 8-7.
Francis, who allowed me to do one of the more difficult feature stories I've ever written, hit a home run off future University of Arkansas standout Connor Noland, and Dawson Armstrong outpitched Noland for a 4-2 win against Greenwood in conference play.
The Panthers wrapped up conference play with a 7-4 win against Alma, after falling behind 4-0 in the first few innings. They also won that game without their head coach as coach Alan Hardcastle was injured in a four-wheeler accident before the game.
The 2016 Panthers' season came to an end in extra innings against Lake Hamilton in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs, but it was a game that could have gone the Panthers' way with a break or two.
The last three years
The 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons saw the Panthers fall short of making the playoffs, but each year the Panthers were in contention.
The 2017 team won 11 games against some good quality teams, including Harrison, Alma and Mountain Home and had potential to be a state tournament team.
The Panthers slipped to four wins in 2018 but had some chances late in the year for good wins.
The 2019 Panthers got off to a promising 5-0 start in conference play with sweeps of Beebe and Alma and an 8-7 win over Greenbrier. But the team lost its last nine conference games and fell short of the postseason.
It was definitely an exciting start with a disappointing finish. I think -- and I think Coach Alan Hardcastle does too -- that this year's team felt like it had unfinished business from the 2019 season. Unfortunately we'll never get to know if the 2020 Panthers would have been the one to get Siloam Springs back to the postseason.
Siloam Springs Panthers
Year -- Record (W-L)
2010 -- 9-17
2011 -- 8-16
2012 -- 6-20
2013 -- 2-23
2014 -- 2-21
2015 -- 4-18
2016 -- 12-16
2017 -- 11-17
2018 -- 4-22
2019 -- 8-19
2020 -- 2-5
-- Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the Herald-Leader. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Sports on 05/27/2020