INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) -- Guerin Catholic had never won a baseball state title in the school's 22 year history. That is until Friday.
Led by Alabama commit Tate Troxell, who only allowed one run the entire state tournament, and a record-tying four RBI by senior Nolan Ratcliff, the Golden Eagles dominated Andrean for their first-ever baseball state title.
"We got one game away last year, losing down at Jasper. Their motto all year was kind of 'One more game. One more game.' And not a lot of teams get that opportunity, and we did," head coach Dave Schrage said.
"I don't think anyone wanted to feel that pain of losing, especially the seniors in their finally season, so that just really motivated us to win," junior second baseman Ben Canada said.
"When we we got there we were like, 'Dang, we're actually here,' but after the game, it finally hit. It was like, 'That just happened,' and it was amazing," senior pitcher Luke Gremelspacher said.
After coaching at Notre Dame and Butler, Schrage came out of retirement to lead the Golden Eagles to the top.
"I felt like coming out of retirement was a God thing," Schrage said. "I felt pretty humbled and pretty blessed at the same time that He put me in a great spot and a great opportunity to at the end of my career here to be able to take a team to the state title and win the state title. It's just such a blessing."
When Schrage arrived at Guerin Catholic, this baseball banner hanging in the gym was nearly empty. He made it his mission to have his teams fill it up.
Now they've won the ultimate prize - the state championship.
"Watching our players celebrate was so rewarding, because I knew what they've been through, how much they worked, how hard they worked," Schrage said. "I didn't get in the pile, but I loved standing and watching them celebrate and jump on each other... They just created a lifetime of memories for themselves, and they'll always remember this. And it's just so satisfying to see with this group of guys."
"The amount of work we put in in four years, especially the culture we brought, I mean, this team is like a family. That's cliché, but truly," senior third baseman Nolan Ratcliff said. "Our team chemistry - that alone is more than a state championship. Building all these friendships with the family we made here is phenomenal."
A team forever etched in Guerin Catholic history.
