LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — With spring sports championships happening this week, there will be plenty of teams looking to repeat, dynasties being cemented, and so forth.
Then, there’s Joe T . Robinson baseball.
“It’s still pretty surreal,” explained head coach Isaac Dulaney.
“It hasn’t really hit me that we are in this championship game, [and are] gonna play for history,” senior Isaiah Freeman added.
The Senators are playing for the first baseball title in school history.
“You think and you look at all the years since you haven’t been alive and it’s like dang, nobody has ever done what you’re doing,” said senior Spencer Watson.
Now, one previous team does stand out in Coach Dulaney’s memory.
“We thought 2020 was gonna be our shot, then COVID hit and you start to wonder, was it all just a dream or are we going to get that opportunity?" he questioned.
Now, the 2024 team has worked to make that dream a reality.
“They’ve kind of taken it on themselves to represent that group and to try and earn a state title not just for them but for that group that missed out on that opportunity," he added.
This Senator team has united around the idea of playing for something greater than themselves, as seen on the front of their shirts, which read “Credo Imperium.”
“Believe in the empire,” explained senior Brooks Walker.
It’s a message of unity that Dulaney borrowed from Spartan warriors. The back of the team’s shirts share a similar message: “For the boys.”
“That’s our main focus,” said Freeman."For the boys, we do everything for each other.”
That thought has them one win away from making history, and Dulaney explained how it has been this senior class’s focus from the start.
“This team has been special. They’ve talked about it since day one.," Walker said. “Since we’ve grown up through high school, we knew we wanted this moment.”
“We worked so hard, we’ve talked about it so much,” added Freeman. “We want to be the first team to do this for Robinson, end it on the right note and do this for Robinson.”
The Senators take on Prairie Grove on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
All baseball, softball, and soccer state championship games will be played at the University of Central Arkansas.
