Magical. Memorable. Historic. Rewarding. Meaningful.
Those are just a few words that could be used to describe the 2012 baseball season for the Bethlehem Christian Academy Knights.
Playing a full varsity schedule for the first time, BCA steamrolled its way to a region title and did not lose to a Class A opponent until the GISA state semifinals.
That’s not bad for a team with no seniors and for a program in its infancy. In fact, I believe this baseball season may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Diamond Knights success for 2013 and beyond.
The magical season came to an end Friday as defending state champion Crisp Academy swept the Knights. Make no mistake, the visiting Wildcats are a solid team and are this reporter’s prediction to now win the championship again.
However, you cannot overstate how much BCA accomplished this spring. Under the direction of coach Nick Pou, the Knights quickly made a name for themselves in the GISA. They defeated long-established programs and recorded wins against teams which qualified for the postseason in larger classifications.
While he understands what his team did accomplish, Pou expressed that neither he nor his team was completely satisfied.
“They know we did some great things, but this team wanted to win it all this year,” the coach said. “Certainly, that will be our goal going into next season. We have everyone back but we’ll have to continue to work and continue to do the little things which make you successful.”
Mark Barth, who is the school’s athletic director as well as assistant baseball coach, said after Friday’s semifinal doubleheader that the school will compete in football, softball and volleyball this fall.
“We’ll actually have six teams,” Barth said. “We’ll have varsity teams in each sport as well as middle school teams. It’s going to be busy.”
The success BCA enjoyed on the diamond in 2012 will not only help the baseball program grow, but it should generate growth for the entire athletic program and even the school as a whole.
The baseball team received a ton of positive press this spring, which no doubt helped increase awareness of what is now offered at BCA. The two home baseball playoff series drew a large crowd of fans which shows even more potential for overall growth.
With some of the Knight players set to be seniors next school year, don’t be surprised to see colleges knocking on their door hoping to secure their services. Big things are likely in store for the BCA baseball program, its athletic department and school.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
