How Harrisburg baseball's 2024 season laid the foundation for future success
With Harrisburg baseball (18-9) down 10-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs against Salisbury (8-11), senior Carter Bremer approached the plate, which would be the last at-bat of his high school career.
Just before, Bulldogs head coach Chris Ackman went up to him. Ackman did a similar thing with a mound visit to the team’s other senior, Austin Starbuck, in the top of the inning.
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It wasn’t to discuss strategy or how Harrisburg could get back into the contest. Instead, Ackman wanted to let his two seniors know something more important.
“I wanted those two seniors to know how much they’ve worked and how proud I was of them and what they’ve done for this program and that this game doesn’t define (anything),” Ackman said. “I just wanted them to enjoy this last moment because it can feel like the weight of the world on their shoulders as an 18-year-old, and sometimes they don’t understand that this is just a game, so you just try to let them know that, hey, I’m proud of you, I love and you and enjoy this last chance you have.”
In the words of Ackman, “Sometimes it’s not your night,” and that was the case for Harrisburg. Salisbury put up five runs in the top of the third inning, three more in the sixth, and two in the seventh, completing a 10-0 victory in the Class 2, District 7 Championship. On the other hand, the Bulldogs went 5-for-27 offensively while giving up 10 hits and costly errors on the defensive side.
It ended one of Harrisburg's best seasons record-wise, as its 18 wins this season tied a program high, but it doesn’t erase the accomplishments set by this year’s team and the legacy Bremer and Staubuck will leave behind.
The two have played in a district final all four years with the program, helping sustain a streak that began when Brian Simpson was head coach in 2016.
Harrisburg’s district championship appearance streak has a strong case to continue as well. The other ten players on the Bulldogs roster, freshman Landon Nichols, sophomores Dakota Harmon, Rylee Robinson, Hunter Caldwell, Chase Gray, Thomas Harrison, and juniors Bryce Ott, Ike DeMuth, and Keagan Morris, will all be back next season. They’ve exceeded their own expectations this year and all gelled together to go as far as they did.
“I’m so proud of each one of these kids,” Ackman said. “Each kid has gotten better since day one in March to where we are now. You know, this game doesn’t reflect what they’ve done this season or what they’ve accomplished individually. It’s just a moment where the season comes to an end.”
The playoff run and loss also serve as a great teaching moment for the young team.
“They got to see this moment and the expectations. What does it take to get to this point? So it's an invaluable experience that keeps carrying on whether you want to call it tradition or not,” Ackman said. “We want to be a tough out…and that’s our model. We want to compete for seven hard innings.
While the season didn’t end the way Harrisburg wanted too but and while the loss stings, there are brighter days ahead for the program.
“They’re young, and they think this is their whole world, and you appreciate that,” Ackman said. But you got to let them know that the sun will come up tomorrow.”
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How Harrisburg baseball's 2024 season laid the foundation for future success
