Rogers ends dream season with Class 6A baseball championship

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

No matter what was put in front of the Rogers High School baseball team this season, the Mounties were able to overcome it.

That included a trip to Conway for the Class 6A state championship game that ended up being postponed, a short hotel stay and then a return trip home to play for the title on a rival’s field just a few miles from its own.

It all ended with a 7-6 win over Fayetteville in nine innings – a perfect way to end the season with a 21-game winning streak.

Aiden Linson got the final two outs on the mound in the top of ninth and then drove in the game-winning run in the bottom off the frame.

Rogers catcher Ty Burnham was named the state tournament’s Most Valuable Player for the Mounties (27-6), who won the 2021 championship and were the runner-ups last season.

“The kids showed a lot of resilience,” Rogers head coach Matt Melson said. “There were several times we could have folded and things could have gone south on us.”

That included Sunday when Rogers quickly found itself down 3-0 to Fayetteville (26-7) in a game that was played at Rogers Heritage.

“We got down three early, came back and then had a two-run lead going to the seventh and they scored three there,” Melson said.

“I’m proud of them for getting that next run in the seventh (to tie it) and they kept going and were able to pull it out.

“I am just super proud off them and there was a lot of mental toughness there that this guys have shown all year,” Melson said. “It was great to see and I am just really proud of them.”

Instead of getting ready to play a game on Saturday, Rogers players and coaches were checking out of their hotel.
 

They were then told the game would be moved to Wednesday before a decision was made to find a field closer to both programs.

“It was hard all week – thinking we were going to play Saturday and then they move it to Wednesdays and then all of a sudden it’s on Sunday,” Melson said.

“For 16-, 17- and 18-year old kids, that’s tough. And then playing in front of several thousand people there, there was a lot of emotion and is not something kids normally have to deal with.

“I was just rally proud of them to persevere.”

It was a different type game for Rogers, who had given up just 15 runs in its final 20 games.

Fayetteville, which features three Arkansan signees in Mark Brissey, Jaison Delemar and Landon Schaefer, had 12 hits.

“We had been really good on the mound during this stretch, but Fayetteville has a lot of talent, a lot of D1 kids and we knew they were going to score,” Melson said.

“That is not something that we have had to overcome a lot and we weren’t entirely clean defensively, but we had some clutch hitting, laid down some great bunts and kind of scratched and clawed and got it done.

“We have been tough on the mound…but there were a lot of bleeders and never-ending hits that just dropped in.

“…In the nine innings, our pitchers did a great job in seven of them.”

Fayetteville was making its 10th state finals appearance since 2014 and has seven championships to its credit.

The league had the two finalists and three of the four semifinalists with Sprindale Har-Ber falling to Rogers.

“There are D1 commits all throughout the league,” Melson said. “…(Fort Smith) Northside, who didn’t even make the playoffs, probably has a draft pick in McLane Moody.”

Melson said his team’s toughest competition has been on the homefront.

“I have been doing this for quite a while now and we play all over,” Melson said. “We play in the Tulsa area, we play in the Kansas City area, we go to Phoenix and play during spring break and to tell you the truth, the best teams we see here are within 20 miles of our house.

“We are really proud of the culture of baseball and the brand we play here in Northwest Arkansas. I have heard from a lot of coaches around the country that when they want to play tough games, they want to come where we are at.

“You just had two teams from our conference in the finals and three of the four semifinals.”

Rogers has won the last six conference championships.

“We have won six straight conference championships and that is something I am very proud of,” Melson said. “I don’t now that has ever been done up here.”

The alums showed their pride per Melson.

“I counted and I got texts from 75 alumni last night and I saw no less than 50 that were at the game,” Melson said. “ That kind of speaks to the culture. The kids graduate, but they really never leave so to speak.

“We were in the finals last year and basically returned just two kids. But even though everybody was new, they were shown by the guys that came before them just what was expected of them.

“That takes awhile to build. I hope we can keep it going because I have been on both ends of it. But it is due to these kids that came before.”

Photo courtesy of Arkansas Activities Association