Briarcrest baseball wasn't expected to reach Murfreesboro in 2022. Here's how it almost did
The energy in the Briarcrest Christian dugout had been drained heading into the bottom of the fifth inning of Thursday’s Division II-AA state tournament qualifier game.
Not even Matthew Dallas, the loudest Saint in the dugout, could energize his team as it gave up six straight Knoxville Catholic runs in a 12-10 season-ending loss at home.
Briarcrest coach Craig Hopkins had a simple message to his young team with its season on the line: Find a way.
Those words might as well have been the motto for the Saints (17-21) this season, because every time it looked bleak, they managed to find a way.
In the middle of the season during a 2-8 stretch, the Saints responded by winning eight of their next nine.
“The bought into everybody do your job,” Hopkins said.
With a rejuvenated team and the postseason on the horizon, Briarcrest won a West Region championship – the first time in school history the program won consecutive region championships.
It beat top-seeded Knoxville Catholic in the first game of a state quarterfinal series, forcing the maximum three games but ultimately coming up a win short of advancing to the state tournament in Murfreesboro.
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Even in the third game Thursday, down nine runs, all hope seemed lost.
Helmets were thrown down in the dugout by frustrated players. Bats were slammed to the ground, players yelled in frustration about not getting on top of the pitches they knew they should have hit.
Yet the Saints rallied.
Their response to giving up six runs in the sixth inning was scoring seven runs in the last two innings to turn a blowout into a nail-biter.
"They could have very easily quit,” Hopkins said. “We were a base hit away from tying it up. We fought like we did all year and I’m proud of them for that.”
With each hit during their two-inning rally, life returned to the dugout. Dallas led the charge in keeping up the energy, like he often did this season, and runs followed.
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Briarcrest wasn’t supposed to be in a position to return to the state tournament a season after finishing runner-up. It probably wasn’t expected to beat Knoxville Catholic either. Behind Dallas’ 13-strikeout performance on Wednesday, the Saints did just that.
After Joshua Brown’s popup went straight to the second baseman Thursday, the season ended and players shed tears.
"They have nothing to hang their heads about,” Hopkins said after the game.
Most of Briarcrest’s team will return next season, with the hope that it more prepared for the games like Thursday and seasons like 2022.
"I couldn’t be prouder of them,” Hopkins said. “We’ll be back.”
Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on Twitter @wynstonw__.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Briarcrest baseball nearly reached TSSAA state tourney in 2022
