By Chris Parker
When head baseball coach Justin Snider arrived in Miller three years ago, his head coaching days were supposed to be behind him.
The longtime Clever coach was going to be the athletic director and assistant principal at Miller.
Then in the summer, he was approached with an opportunity to also be the head baseball coach.
“When I took this job, I was supposed to be the assistant principal and athletic director. About midsummer they asked me if I would coach baseball. I was actually very hesitant to do it just going into a new role and not know what to expect out of that role,” Snider said.
Once he took on the duties of head baseball coach, he had a message for his new team.
“Three years ago, I told them if you will do everything that is asked of you, I will give you the opportunities to be where you want to be,” Snider said. “It is their credit because they have done everything that has been asked of them all three years.”
The place the Cardinals are is getting ready to play for a Class 2 state championship after beating Chaffee 3-1 in the state semifinal round on Monday.
The Cardinals turned to sophomore ace Jase Wilkinson on the mound. He entered Monday with 135 strikeouts across 56 innings with a fastball that can run up north of 90 miles per hour.
He had his toughest task of the season facing down an offensively talented Chaffee squad that came in hitting .320 as a team.
Snider wanted Wilkinson to focus solely on stacking outs any way he could get them on Monday.
“Jase’s velocity has gone up as the spring has gone on, but we talked a lot yesterday about outs. We need 18 or 21 outs from (Wilkinson). You don’t have to throw 90 (MPH) every pitch. We need you to pitch,” Snider said. “We knew this would be the best team we faced offensively. They are really good offensively. I don’t think anybody has hit Jase as much as he got hit today. We spent a lot of time in practice the last couple days knowing the ball is going to be put in play more than it has been this year when he throws. When we needed the big out he got the strikeout or the big out. He threw great, and it is a group effort. We played really solid defense behind him, which is sometimes when a guy throws that hard at this level you get a little complacent in the field. We knew today they would put the ball in play. I am just really proud of the kids.”
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Wilkinson struck out six across his 5 1/3 innings giving up one unearned run. The defense committed just one error in the game.
“I feel like my defense really helped me out today. They just did a great job. I am really proud of the guys,” Wilkinson said. “I have full confidence in my guys back there. Whenever I get a ball in play, like a roll over or something, I don’t have to look at the ball really because I know my guys are going to help me out. They have just really come through clutch.”
Wilkinson, closer Jarod Lung and the defense stepped up time and again on Monday.
Chaffee had seven hits in the game going six-for-17 (.352 average) without runners in scoring position. With runners in scoring position, Chaffee was just 1-for-11 (.091).
“When we needed it, they came through,” Snider said. “Games like this are always going to be decided by one team doing one little thing better than the other.”
The game was scoreless through five innings. In the top of the sixth, Miller’s offense came to life. The Cardinals started off the inning with back-to-back walks by Lung and Paul Nunez. Colton Brown reached on a throwing error which scored Lung and moved Nunez to third. Brown stole second after a strikeout for Miller’s first out of the inning.
Then Wilkinson stepped up with two in scoring position and one out.
He singled to left field to bring home both Brown and Nunez.
In the bottom of the inning, Wilkinson was quickly approaching hit pitch count limit. He faced three batters giving up a single and a double on either side of a strikeout before hitting his limit.
That brought in the closer Lung with two on and one out. He struck out the first batter he faced then walked the next to load the bases.
The next Chaffee batter reached on an error on the infield scoring one run, but the rally was stifled when a Chaffee runner was ruled out due to interference on the basepaths to end the inning.
After a scoreless top of the seventh, Lung came back out to finish the game. He gave up a leadoff double and then, as Miller did all day, buckled down. He got a groundout, lineout and strikeout to finish the game and punch Miller’s ticket to the state title game.
“That’s all Jarod does. I think he is six-for-seven in saves this year,” Snider said. “We have all the faith in the world when we have to go to the bullpen. We have four really good starting pitchers. Jarod is in that fourth, but we have been using him more in a closer role this year and he has just excelled in that. He has just been a dog all year.”
Miller will play the winner of Tipton and Eugene in the state title game. It is an opportunity Snider began manifesting back in January.
“In January, I showed the seniors a picture of a state championship ring that I designed with Miller on it,” Snider said. “I put it up on my TV in my office. I showed them and said if you’ll give us everything you’ve got and get everybody to commit then we will be designing a championship ring at the end of the year.”
The thought of winning a state title seemed very far away all the way back in January, but now the Cardinals are one game away.
“Colton Brown my first baseman said ‘coach, I almost laughed. I didn’t really believe you,” Snider said. “Now I get to go tell them we have the opportunity.”
Miller will turn to another sophomore in Hayden Schnake on the mound. He is 7-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 46 strikeouts across 44 innings this season.
“I am really excited for him (Schnake). He has come through clutch in these games. He is undefeated this year,” Wilkinson said. “We are really pumped for tomorrow. He has done a great job. I am excited to see what he can do out there because I think he is going to shove.”
Miller will play for a Class 2 state championship game at 1 pm on Tuesday at the Ozark Mountain Sports Complex in Ozark. The game was moved up from 7 pm due to potential weather.
