Underdog or Cinderella?: Doesn’t matter, just call Salmon one of the best baseball teams in the state

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CALDWELL – Anyone who’s played high school sports likely remembers the end.

The last bus ride, the last game, the feeling of loss and sadness when the realization hits.

It’s over.

There was a lot of that going on this weekend at the state championships. It’s part of the deal when you put on a uniform. You work as hard as you can, but there’s only one team standing at the end of the year.

“It was the hardest end-of-the-year speech I’ve had to give,” Salmon baseball coach Mike Lane said Saturday after his team lost to Melba in the 3A state playoffs. “It does hurt.”

Lane noted he’s also given end-of-the-year speeches after teams have finished the year without a win.

“It’s a much different conversation today,” he said.

The Salmon baseball team and its journey to the state tournament might be one of the most impressive stories of the spring.

Most described Salmon as a Cinderella story because the program, which started in 2019, hadn’t had winning season and struggled early on to just get enough players to fill out a lineup.

The turnaround this year was like a perfect storm.

Salmon had hitting. Salmon had pitching. Salmon had plenty of players who were good. The pieces were all there.

They may have lacked a storied baseball pedigree, but they ran off 14 straight wins to open the season, unleashing double-digit wins like they were the 1927 Yankees in disguise.

Salmon didn’t seem fazed by its newfound success, even when the schedule toughened up and the team suffered some losses.

Were they still Cinderella?

“A lot of people call it a Cinderella story,” Lane said. “It’s awesome that they’re getting the recognition, but deep down we knew we’d have a pretty good team.”

Lane said he knew why the Cinderella characterization worked. Especially as the season progressed and the team kept racking up wins.

People may have liked the story more than what was actually happening on the field.

“But at some point we’re like ‘We know how to win,’” Lane noted. “This should just be a good team we’re talking about and not necessary the underdog, not the team that shouldn’t be here.”

Lane said as the season rolled along, players and coaches knew that they had a state caliber team.

How did that work out?

-A first district title and finishing 8-0 in the competitive Nuclear Conference.

-A first state regional tournament win.

-A first trip to the four-team state championship round.

-A first state trophy after finishing fourth.

-Finishing the year 22-6 after winning just 12 games combined the past two seasons and having two winless seasons in the program’s recent history.

“They exceeded my expectations for sure,” Lane said.

Underdog or Cinderella. It really doesn’t matter. Some players and teams can go years without even making it to the state tournament or enjoying the ride along the way.

Some advice.

For the five seniors on the roster, the disappointment of losing this weekend is only temporary.

Those bus rides and those memories might one day turn into their own version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days,” but they never truly fade.

It’s not really the end, just time to start another chapter while still embracing a remarkable season.

“I hope they enjoy what they accomplished this year,” Lane said. “Overall, I’m super proud of the ways they’ve grown in baseball and life in general.”