Centerfielder Colton Hines makes a catch.

AKRON — There’s going to come a time when the Barnesville Shamrocks baseball team looks back at its 2021 season and smiles.

That may not occur today, next week or even next month. But, eventually, the time will come.

And hopefully it’s sooner than later because a trip to the OHSAA State Tournament is something that should be celebrated now and as anniversaries in the years that come.

Unfortunately, the Shamrocks came up short of the ultimate goal, which is to hoist the gold trophy on Sunday as Division III state champions.

But, Friday’s 7-1 loss to Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy at Canal Park should really be considered a blip on the radar.

“We might not have won (Friday), but these kids have everything in the world to be proud of,” Barnesville head coach D.J. Butler said.

Butler found himself having to pause and just smile when he was asked about the whole season, which included a district, the school’s second regional championship and a school-record number of wins (25).

Let’s keep a few things in mind about the Shamrocks’ success.

Considering this was a program that played in the district semifinal in 2019, sat through the COVID-lost 2020 campaign with an eight-member senior class that seemed prime to make a run through May and didn’t even get to play, not many — outside of their own dugout — had thought the Shamrocks were on the cusp of the Final Four.

“Knowing what we graduated (in 2020) and the guys coming back had lost a season, I still thought we were going to be pretty good, but I could have never dreamed this,” Butler admitted. “I saw a little light bulb go off over the team’s head, late in the year, and it was like we all realized that anything was possible at that point.”

That lightbulb flicker wasn’t something that just Butler and the coaches saw. The players felt it, too.

Senior Ayden Hannahs — who admitted that he didn’t have his best stuff on the mound Friday — pointed to back-to-back losses in early May to Martins Ferry and Union Local that seemed to ignite the Shamrocks.

“I knew we had (success) in us, but it was a matter of us working and getting to the point where we can get it done,” Hannahs said. “We came together, as a team, after those losses and just said, ‘this is not how our season is going to end. We’re not going to let it go down hill like this.'”

The message came across loud and clear because sandwiched between a loss to Shadyside and Friday’s setback to CHCA, the Shamrocks reeled off eight straight wins.

Much of that late-season run can probably be attributed to buy in and that stems from the seemingly unflappable brotherhood the Shamrocks built.

The group won together, lost together, genuinely liked each other and rooted for their buddy.

Those are necessary ingredients for sports success. They’re also traits that the players will take long into life with them, too.

“I never would have expected to end my career (in the state tournament), but I am sure glad it happened and I’m especially glad that it was with this team and group of guys,” Hannahs said. “This was a very special season.”

Butler had high praise for his three seniors — Hannahs, Jake Edwards and Brady Wildes.

“Those guys brought guts,” Butler said. “All three of them were leaders and played different roles. Ayden was the vocal leader who was going to carry us, Jake was the silent leader who spoke when he had to and Brady played his role, had four great (pitching) wins and does the little things.”

Hannahs heaped a ton of praise right back on his head coach, too.

“He’s a wonderful coach, knows how to play the game and get us ready for baseball games,” Hannahs said. “It’s been an honor to have played for him and I hope he has continued success with this program.”

Butler, who earned his 200th career victory at the helm of the Shamrocks earlier in the tournament, savored every minute of the experience.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time and had never been here before, and you never know if you’re going to get back,” Butler said. “For the young guys, who are coming back, to take in everything and experience everything that Akron-Canton had to offer is something they’re going to remember for the rest of their lives.”

With only three graduation losses and a group of baseball junkies ready to return, Gavin Carpenter has already started thinking about the 2022 campaign.

“We’re definitely going to miss those seniors, but we have some good underclassmen and we’ll be ready to come back firing out strong,” Carpenter said. “I think some of those younger guys will step up and fill those (seniors) spots. Our pitching and bats are still here, so hopefully we’re able to repeat what we did this year.”

TOURNAMENT NOTES

• BECAUSE OF Thursday’s rainouts, the Shamrocks got an extra day in the Akron-Canton area and made the most of it, too. The team visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, worked out at Uniontown Lake and went bowling Thursday evening.

• THE SHAMROCK players and coaches — after acknowledging CHCA with the now customary tip of the cap — turned and saluted the upwards of 500 plus fans who made the trip from Belmont County to support the team.

• AREA UMPIRES Sam “Chicken” Jones and Donnie Madzia will work this morning’s first Division IV semifinal between Lucasville Valley and VanWert Lincolnview.

Staskey can be reached via email at sstaskey@timesleaderonline and at twitter.com/TLSportsSeth