Silo overcomes youth, cruises to state championship

There are no promises in sports. Jake Hamilton should know.

He was a sophomore on the Silo baseball team two years ago, when the Rebels lost a seven-run lead in the seventh inning of the Class 2A state title game to Dale, losing the championship in the ninth.

He thought about that “a couple times” on Saturday at Shawnee High School as Silo powered past Dale 20-2 to end his career with a 2A state championship.

“It made it a lot better,” said Hamilton, who on Saturday reached a sixth state title game in eight tries between spring and fall baseball. “A lot more motivation. It made it a lot sweeter coming back and getting on top of them this time.”

The sting of that 2015 game is a reminder that nothing is a given.

It’s a lesson the Rebels seem to have taken to heart.

The Silo roster is stacked with whippersnappers. Its starting pitcher, Dylan Turner, is a sophomore. A freshman, Carson Atwood, started at third base and moved to the mound in relief. Another freshman, Korben Ford, started at shortstop.

Only two seniors – catcher Hunter Ratcliffe and designated hitter Kash Walls – were in Saturday’s starting lineup.

But even with so many young contributors, so many players with chances to do this again, the Rebels played with a fire, coach Billy Jack Bowen said, that belied their age.

That started last spring, when Silo lost to Christian Heritage in the 2A state championship game. The Rebels’ younger players were in the stands watching then, Hamilton said, and it was motivation.

“We’re young and inexperienced, but that made us where we had to work harder,” said Ratcliffe, who drove in four runs on Saturday. “We had to be better. This whole offseason, we grinded and grinded. Eventually it did pay off.”

Silo is in position to have it pay off again in the future.

The Rebels roster features four juniors, six sophomores and seven freshmen, setting up the program for a potential run down the road.

But nothing’s promised.

“I think our freshmen understood, ‘Man, this is special, let’s go. We’re playing with a lot of really good players,’” Bowen said. “So they saw a sense of urgency. They worked hard every day. You never knew they were freshmen. It’s a cliché, (but) you can’t count on tomorrow. They may never play on a team this good again.”