The Glenbrook Apaches weren’t supposed to be here.
At least that’s what most people believed prior to the start of the 2016 season. Despite the preseason chatter, the Apaches kept their nose to the grindstone and reeled off a string of impressive wins to finish runner-up in district 6AA and earn a home playoff game Tuesday against Newton Academy out of Mississippi.
Even Glenbrook head coach Blake Sorey admits he didn’t foresee a home playoff game back in February, but the upstart Apaches have made him a believer.
“We started off kind of rough,” Sorey said. “We had a talk after those first few losses and decided we wanted to go to the playoffs. We put our heads to hit and finally started playing well during district. We finally started hitting the ball and our pitching really came together. We’re rolling right now.”
The Apaches have been getting quality starts and appearances on the mound, most notably from junior Tyler Perryman.
“He came in and went 5-0 in district,” Sorey said of the newly emerged ace of the staff. “He’s been a bright spot for us. I can trust him to go out there and get the job done. Colt Wilson has really come along as well since the start of the year for us.”
The bullpen isn’t slacking either, led by sophomore Nick Mourad.
“I think he’s done a great job filling that spot,” Sorey said. “At the beginning of the year we thought he fit more as a starter, but it turns out he’s been really good at coming in and shutting down games.”
In preseason talks, it became evident the Apaches would rely on young talent to get to this point. No one could have predicted just how strongly they would come on.
“A lot of my guys are tenth graders,” Sorey said. “Parker Christy probably has the best on base percentage on our team. Nick Mourad hits in the four-hole for us and has been a doubles machine and Trevor McLean (eighth grader) has been a bright spot and will be here for the next four years.”
The Apaches now turn their focus towards a playoff run, and it will be interesting to see how the young team fares under playoff pressure.
Glenbrook and Newton Academy will play a three-game series with the winner advancing to face Amite School Center in the second round. Game one is Tuesday in Minden at 5 p.m.