West Salem finally tastes state title
West Salem forms a championship dogpile that eluded them in the each of their last two trips to state in the last two years (Alex Strouf/Wisconsin Baseball Central).
GRAND CHUTE -- There’s been a lot of good teams, traditions, and rituals over Chuck Ihle’s 32 seasons with West Salem High School’s varsity baseball team.
On Thursday, a new tradition was born while achieving something no spring baseball team at West Salem ever has.
The Panthers stopped a Waupun rally in the seventh inning of the Division 2 state championship to win the school’s first spring baseball state championship, 8-6.
“It’s quite a relief. It’s good to show up here. It’s our ninth time here, but we’ve never came this close,” said Ihle. “We’ve never come home with a gold ball.”
It was quite the way to do it.
In innings two and three, West Salem was able to capitalize on errors and defensive gaps to score four runs in each inning.
At that point, they eased off of the offensive gas.
Although down 8-3 entering the fifth inning, Waupun knew there was time. Quickly, they capitalized off of the same gaps they were presenting defensively. In the fifth, Waupun put up three runs on four hits.
The sixth was scoreless before Waupun made it a two-run game with two on and two outs in the top of the seventh.
They couldn’t capitalize when it matter.
A popup to shallow right field is the reason celebration began there.
West Salem’s drought without a state championship was over.
Once the team received the trophy from their 8-6 victory, the tradition created at their regional carried over. The entire team, including Ihle, licked it.
“I don’t think we have any games left, but I licked it anyway,” said Ihle.
“Tasted like any other trophy we’ve licked.”
When asked if licking the trophy would be added to the long list of Panther traditions, senior Nick Schultz had no doubts.
“It absolutely is,” said Schultz. “Now that we have the state championship, I kind of liked that it was a bit bigger, so we didn’t have to spread the germs as much.”
West Salem put together one of their best seasons ever, finishing with a record of 24-4.
“They’ve worked really hard and they just put it together,” said Ihle of tournament play. “They just never say die.”
