FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – Two more steps to go.
The Fleming Island baseball team is a pair of victories away from a state championship.
On Friday at 4 p.m. at CenturyLink Park in Fort Myers, the Golden Eagles (24-5) face Viera (20-6) in unfamiliar territory.
As solid as Fleming has been since its inception, it has never been this deep in the state playoffs.
Head coach Grant Bigilin feels good about his team’s chances.
“We have Cody Carwile going who has been our guy all year,” Bigilin said. “He is 11-0. I think we have proven that if we score three runs, we win. So, I say if we score three runs, we win.”
That has held true nearly all season.
The only game that the Golden Eagles lost this season after scoring more than three runs was a 7-5 game to Bartram Trail.
Fleming island has a very senior-heavy team, and this is a moment they have been dreaming of since they got there.
“Ever since my class came in as freshmen there has always been talk that this class would be the one to go there,” Carwile said. “Because there has always been that potential there and this year it has just been shining. So, it has been in the process this whole time.”
If the Golden Eagles can put those three runs on the board Friday afternoon, that would punch their ticket to the state championship game on Saturday.
“Seeing them win would be unbelievable,” Bigilin said. “They play Friday, would play in the state championship Saturday, hopefully win, then come back and graduate that following Friday. It would be the craziest week of their lives. Hopefully they can make it happen.”