How Drew Wedgeworth helped Glendale 'slay the dragon' vs. Willard with no-hitter
BRANSON — Whenever there's a big game, Drew Wedgeworth wants to be on the mound.
Whether against Nixa, Liberty North or the best of the best, Wedgeworth wants the ball against the best competition possible. It was no different heading into a Class 5, District 5 championship game against Willard — a team that had ended Glendale's previous three seasons.
It was a dragon that the Falcons needed to slay and was one Wedgeworth wanted to lead the charge.
"He wanted the ball like he's wanted the ball all year," head coach Jim Julian said. "He's pitched tremendously for us all year against really good programs and Willard's no exception."
Wedgeworth saved his best performance for Glendale's first district championship win since 2021. In a 2-0 win over the Tigers, Wedgeworth was mobbed on the mound once the final out was recorded and he completed a complete-game no-hitter against the No. 3 team in the state.
"We've lost to this team three times in a row," Wedgeworth said. "It was so much fun. They're a great team and Coach McGee's a great coach every year. I'm just so proud of the guys we've got."
Wedgeworth, the grandson of legendary Missouri State Athletics Director Bill Rowe, embraced his grandfather following the game as Rowe wiped away tears. The junior lefty was soaked in water that his teammates poured on him in a celebration that started at the mound and somehow carried over to third base.
An avid Missouri State fan, Wedgeworth said the feeling was unlike anything he's felt after an outing and it only compared to when the Bears beat Arkansas to win the 2017 Fayetteville Regional.
His final stat line ended at seven innings pitched with one strikeout and a pair of walks. No Willard baserunner ever made it to second base despite both of Wedgeworth's walks leading off different innings.
The junior southpaw didn't overpower batters but he was calm and in control in an efficient 85 pitches with 53 being strikes. It's been his game the entire season as he keeps pitches away from the middle of the plate and he trusts his defense to get the job done behind him.
"I've been around this defense for three years now and even when there's a guy on, my defense is going to make a big play no matter what," Wedgeworth said. "That's our mindset and it has been our mindset and has been just what we're doing."
"This was just kind of a typical Drew game," Julian added. "He just attacks hitters and is really efficient. He mixes speeds well and he trusts his defense and they made some plays behind him. We were just fortunate to come out on top."
Wedgeworth's run support came with one swing of the bat in the third inning when sophomore phenom Sebastian Norman who put a two-run bomb over the left-field wall. The Falcons left the bases loaded twice but it didn't matter.
Norman had two of Glendale's seven hits but he admitted to saying aloud that Wedgeworth had a no-hitter going when the unwritten rules of baseball say that it shouldn't be spoken as it was happening. The Oklahoma State commit knocked on wood and Wedgeworth helped get him off the hook.
"I figured we were gonna win because when Drew pitches, he doesn't give up hits or any runs ever, really," Norman said. "I knew with (the home run), it was the momentum we needed. From there, it was game over."
The motivated Falcons went into the game with a chip on their shoulder as the district's three-seed — which they felt was too low because of the schedule they faced. It forced the Falcons to go the most difficult route through the state's best district that featured Class 5's top three ranked teams. The Falcons avenged an early-season loss to No. 1 Camdenton in the semifinals.
After a few anxiety-filled days waiting for the championship game, after it was delayed by weather from Friday to Monday, the Falcons knew their road was destined to go through a Willard powerhouse that had beaten Glendale in a state quarterfinal in which Willard threw a one-hitter and the past two district championships.
Willard, which saw its streak of three-straight semifinal appearances snapped, was the weight that Glendale needed to get off its shoulder as it's now a win away from its first semifinal appearance since 1978. The No. 2-ranked Falcons, the top remaining team in the state, will head to No. 9 St. Francis Borgia for a quarterfinal game on Saturday.
It's easy to see why Glendale is now more confident than it's ever been.
"It's not like we weren't ready," Wedgeworth said. "We're gonna get everybody's best shot. I feel like we can beat any single team we want, no matter who's pitching or who's hitting. We're gonna find a way to win. We had to slay the dragon in this game and it's a great feeling."
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Glendale beats Willard in district championship with Wedgeworth no-no
