PREP BASEBALL OPIONION: School's out but baseball's in at Central Hardin (06/04)

By CHUCK JONES cjones@thenewsenterprise.com CECILIA – Central Hardin baseball players stroll into practice on a humid June afternoon. Although they’ve done this countless times during the season, something feels different to the Bruins on this day. “It’s weird,” Central Hardin senior Austin Todd said. “It feels like a preseason practice. It’s a little bit different. None of us have ever been this far before, but it’s good because we can dedicate more hours to baseball.” This is especially strange for the Central Hardin seniors, who graduated Friday. They are finished with school, but they still have an opportunity to play baseball. “We graduated and we know we’re never going back,” Central Hardin senior Andrew Doughty said. “It’s so weird because we’re done with school, but we’re still playing. This is the last chance we’ve got.” Chances like this don’t come along every day. In fact, the reason this feels like nothing else the Bruins have experienced is simple: A Central Hardin baseball team has never been playing this late in a season before. The Bruins won the 5th Region Championship last week for the first time in the school’s 18-year history to advance to the round of 16. Central Hardin plays Christian Academy of Louisville today at 6 p.m. in the best-of-three Semi-State 3 series at Louisville Male High School. If anyone understands what the Bruins are going through, it’s the Centurions, who won their first-ever 7th Region championship last week. “It’s hit me and I think it hits every one of us,” Central Hardin senior Erik Stein said. “School’s over but we’re still coming to practice. It’s come up on us quick. We know it’s over after baseball. We just want to keep playing the game we love.” We’ve all heard the phrase, “For the love of the game.” And it certainly seems to describe the Bruins, who are intent on soaking in every moment, whether it’s practice or a game. It could explain why the Bruins have been so successful. This senior class of Joe Nash, Chris Nichols, Matt Calloway, Stein, Todd and Doughty has been a part of the golden age of Bruin baseball and they have set a new standard for classes to follow. The Bruins are 22-9 this season, a year after going 23-13 and reaching the region final for only the second time in school history. The other time was 1994 when the Bruins won their one and only 17th District championship. The 23 victories were a single-season record and they have a chance to break that mark again this season. “I think so,” Nash said when asked if it’s sunk in what the Bruins have accomplished this season. “I know it has for me. I’m excited … I think we’re all excited to start the next round. It’s a little awkward not being in school. Instead of going to four classes, we’re just concentrating on baseball.” Despite this being the Bruins’ first trip this deep into the postseason, they are focused only on baseball, like Nash said. But at the same time, their workouts have been loose. One might expect a team to have a case of jitters or to be tense approaching a grand stage such as this. Credit needs to go to head coach Todd Thompson and assistant Demond Thomas, who both have been in this situation before as players, so they can relate their experiences to the team. Another reason the Bruins are handling the situation like a team that’s been here before could be the adversity they faced earlier this season. A tornado in early February damaged the Central Hardin facilities, including the baseball field and building. The Bruins became a team without a field and they found a new home at The Player’s Dugout. They didn’t get back on their field until the start of the season and didn’t get to use the indoor facility until after spring break. “It was different,” Stein said. “It definitely tested us. But I think it made us a better team. It prepared us for anything.” Even practices in June. Chuck Jones is the sports editor for The News-Enterprise. He can be reached at 505-1759, or at cjones@thenewsenterprise.com