Tigers reflect after losing in upper state championship

Blue Ridge baseball’s season ended with a 12-2 upper state championship loss to Powdersville on Friday, May 17.

After an unforgettably deep playoff run, Blue Ridge baseball’s season came to a close Friday night after a 12-2 loss to Powdersville.

The Tigers finished the season 25-8 and reached the upper state championship for the first time in 26 years.

“It’s been a ride,” said Blue Ridge head coach Travis Henson. “When a season like this ends, a season where we won 25 games and beat some of the best teams in the state, where we made it to be one of the last three teams playing in 3-A, it just breaks your heart. You never want it to end.”

The Tigers won their region for the second year in a row this season, just the third time that’s happened in program history. Blue Ridge captured its playoff district championship for the first time since 2019. The Tigers’ 25-win total sets a program record.

Much of the credit, Henson said, goes to Blue Ridge’s class of eight strong seniors. After the season-ending loss to Powdersville, many of those seniors were red in the face, tears stinging their eyes.

Henson and his staff—along with every player on the team—went down the line to shake hands with and hug each of the eight seniors.

“This senior class has led by example and everyone else on the team has followed behind then,” said Henson. “You couldn’t ask anymore of this class. They’ve had so much success and have been servant leaders. Ending a season knowing you’re losing a class like this, it really hurts. They’re special people.”

Henson said the response from his team to adversity all season long is what he will remember most about this group.

“We lost our first region game this year. Then we won our next seven games to win the region. We lost in the districts, then we won our next three games to win the district championship. And after all that, we lost our first upper state game, but we still won two games after that to earn a trip to the upper state championship,” said Henson.

“Every time our backs were against the wall this year, these guys found a way. It says a lot about the resolve of this team. This was a special group.”