PIONEERS PREVAIL 9-0 OVER ILLIANA CHRISTIAN IN FINAL
STORY BY JOSH COOK PHOTOS BY JOE ULLRICH
In April , Victory Field seemed a long way away to Providence head coach Tre ’ Watson .
A 4-3 loss to Salem – the Pioneers ’ first to the Lions in 18 years – at Memorial Field left them with a 3-2 record and left the second-year bench boss , and his staff , searching for answers .
“ That was one of our worst losses ,” Watson recalled . “ Salem was a good team , but we played terrible . It was like everybody was kind of in a selfish mode . They weren ’ t doing good and they didn ’ t care about anybody else . That was really a turning point . That game was kind of where we just sat down and we figured out everybody . Everybody had their heartto-hearts and found their roles and everybody just worked their butt off .”
A little more than two months later , Providence ended its season with a victory on Victory Field and the program ’ s third Class 2A state championship .
SLOW START The Pioneers returned a handful of starters , and only a couple with varsity pitching experience , from a senior-laden squad that went 25-4 in 2023 , which ended with a 7-3 loss to Brownstown Central in the regional .
While Luke Kruer , Jack Beyl , Cole Huett and Gavin Jackson came back as everyday starters in 2024 , there were still several positions up for grabs as Providence prepared to open its season in late March .
The biggest goal is having everybody who ’ s in our lineup find their role and produce in every way that they can .
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