‘89 baseball champs honored

School officials will recognize members of the 1989 Blackhawk baseball team prior to the football game Friday night.

In the spring of 1988, school officials decided to discontinue the baseball program at Pea Ridge High School due to cuts in the budget. However, during the summer of 1988, parents of the baseball players and other concerned community leaders told school officials they would find a way and fund the baseball program.

The resilience shown by the parents and community leaders set the stage for the continuation of the Pea Ridge baseball program and the 1989 Championship season. The season had a slow start with the Blackhawks having only two wins after playing five games. A few changes were made and the Blackhawks begin their run of 20 straight wins, according to school records.

During the 20-game win streak, the Blackhawks collected a District Tournament Championship, a Regional Tournament Championship, a streak of wins in the State tournament that got them to the State finals where they “mercy ruled” Bergman, 11-1, in five innings becoming the 1989 Arkansas Baseball State Champions.

This year — 2019 — marks the 30-year anniversary of the Blackhawks’ dramatic run to the state title. Members of the State Title team were head coach John E King, assistant coaches Larry Walker, Mary King and Kevin Miller; and players Jimmie Anderson, Matt Watson, Brian Stuart, Shawn McCoy, Shay Spencer, Jason Harris, the late Jamie Bray (standing in for Jamie will be his son), Brian Wright, Mike Denman, Greg Wilkerson, Joel Easterling and Mark Davis.