By Travis Smola
Vicksburg’s varsity baseball team earned a share of the Wolverine Conference title with Edwardsburg after beating Plainwell 6-3 and 7-1 in a doubleheader May 20.
Everyone had a feeling the Bulldogs were going to be good this year, but with a 27-7 record, they may be even better than anyone had anticipated. Still, the team is taking things slow and focusing on one game at a time. “We’re taking care of business day to day,” Coach Brian Deal said.
Vicksburg has played well on both sides of the ball all season long. When they have had a rare loss, it’s usually come in a doubleheader split. The Bulldogs have split games with Gull Lake, Otsego, Portage Central and South Haven.
The South Haven split also showed how quickly the team bounces back. After losing the first game 3-2, they beat the Rams 20-5 in the second.
As the season winds down, Deal said the competition is going to be fierce in post season play. “Our district has some good teams in it,” he said.
Even though they wind up sharing the conference title with Edwardsburg, it’s worth noting the Bulldogs took both games of their doubleheader against the Eddies 5-4 and 4-3 on May 9.
The boys also got an opportunity for the unique experience of playing on the University of Notre Dame’s field against Dowagiac on May 15. “It was kind of a cool experience,” Deal said. He said it’s not often a high school team gets the chance to play on a high-quality turf field.
The Bulldogs took both games of that doubleheader 5-0 and 10-0.
There’s good news and bad news for Bulldog fans as the season heads into June. The good news is the team has stayed healthy and is on a roll. The bad news is there are no more home games as the team hits the road for tournament play.