It’s the semifinals for the 5A baseball state championship against Summit High School. All of the bases are loaded with players, and West Albany needed only one more out to make it to the finals. Summit goes up to bat and hits the ball to left field.
Standing in the outfield was then sophomore, Blake Linton, who had previously injured his shoulder on the last play. Coaches discussed among themselves whether to keep Linton in the game or not; they ultimately decided to keep him in as they only needed one more out to advance to the finals. Fighting through the injury, Linton was determined to make the play. Then, immediately after catching the ball, Linton shoots a dead throw to third base to previous senior, Aiden Metzker. Turning around, Metzker throws the ball home. West Albany was able to tag the runner out before securing a home run. Cheers awoke from the crowd; the Bulldogs made it to the state championship final.
It was later found out that Linton had torn his rotator cuff in that game.
Now Linton is one of three seniors on this year’s varsity baseball team, including senior Austin Thomson and senior Jaden Fifhause.
This year’s baseball team’s roster consists of 11 players, with three out of the 11 being seniors. The class of ‘26 had a larger number of students participating in baseball in their earlier years of high school.
“When this class [were] freshmen, obviously they [were] a lot bigger [then]. Over the years, it’s [number of students in class of ’ 26] whittled its way down,” said head baseball coach Marty Johnston. The number of participating seniors this year is one of the smallest groups the program has seen in recent years, with last year’s seniors having 10 participating students.
This group of seniors has a lot of talent when it comes to baseball. The three remaining seniors have been a part of the varsity baseball team since their sophomore year. Johnston believes that one of the most impactful things about being on the varsity baseball team for so long is the mentorship they got from upperclassmen. “They’ve been a part of some really successful teams. I think their ability to experience that has really helped them be leaders,” said Johnston.
With these seniors being part of the baseball program for so long, it has brought light to each of their own unique personalities and ways they show leadership. “Austin [Thompson] is very vocal, he is like our vocal leader in the clubhouse. Blake [Linton] is kind of the physical leader in the way he goes about his business. And Jaden [Fifhause] is like that silent, steady leader. He is a really good example of the silent consistency,” said Johnston.
As the end of the school year quickly approaches, so does the end of the baseball season. With their own unique personalities, all three seniors are headed down their own paths. Johnston hopes that these boys will apply what they learn in high school to what they do in the future.
“Take the lessons that you learn through high school and apply them to everything that you do in life,” Johnston said. “And to always make sure that you work hard for the things you want.”
