No State Title, Still Great Season
by Hannah Mushahwar ‘24
Sherwood’s baseball team became the first high school in Maryland state history to win three straight baseball titles at the 4A classification following their 2023 season. Then moving into the 2024 season, the team had high hopes to earn a fourth in a row and a first at 3A level.
The team had an incredible regular season of 16-2, only falling short to Walter Johnson and Magruder. The Warriors went without senior pitcher Mac Crismond during the regular season due to an injury, but junior Jason Seils and senior captain Garrett Smith delivered great performances on the mound until Crismond’s return for the playoffs.
As the team transitioned into playoffs, they had a successful start beating Poolesville 7-2 for the Division Title. Moving into the County Championship, the team delivered another standout performance in a dominating 11-2 win against Whitman.
“Winning the county championship was a really big one,” says junior Jacob Bagania. “That was a trophy that most of us were lacking in our player resumes and we finally got it done.”
However, the scores got closer as competition increased for regionals. The team competed against Long Reach on May 11 for Regional Semi-Finals and squeaked through with a 1-0 victory. Following that, the boys were matched against Riverhill on May 16 for their Regional Final game in their toughest competition yet. The score remained 0-0 heading into extra innings. At the bottom of the eighth inning, Riverhill managed to bring two runners home. Nevertheless, Sherwood’s hopes remained high and put up a fight. Going into the top of the eighth, Sherwood advanced with a runner on third with two outs. Unfortunately, Riverhill secured the third out and the season came to a close.
Though Sherwood baseball fell short in securing their fourth state title, their accomplishments this season are nonetheless praiseworthy. “We essentially had to replace 8 of 9 starters from the previous year,” Coach Sean Davis remarked. “For them to go 18-3 and win the county championship was very impressive.”
Captains Mac Crismond will compete at the University of Charleston in West Virginia, Liam Irving will play at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, and Garrett Smith will join the competition at Frederick Community College. Spirits remain high for the prospects of the next season. Bagania, who has scored a majority of runs for the team as leadoff hitter, reiterates that a fourth state title remains the goal. “We expect to win and the rest of the state expects us to win,” said Bagania. “We will not only meet those expectations, but exceed those expectations.”