Rattan baseball has been deemed the Class A State Champions for the 2022-2023 school year, winning their first baseball title since 2015. The Rattan Rams gained their victory over Sterling with an impressive 11-3 win.

On top of being Class A baseball state champions, Rattan also won Class A Academic State Championship. The Rams have a lot to boast going into the postseason. The successful season could not have happened without the coaching staff, the team, and the Rattan community. 

When asked to recap the season, Coach Michael Clay says that he would not change a thing about it. “This season was good. We had a great pitching staff consisting of underclassmen. This is probably the best defensive team all around that I’ve ever coached.”

He also highlighted the strength of the team, mentioning how “ the team is very athletic at every position. We had a team batting average of .337.” 

The team would not be what it is without the effort from each and every player. Coach Clay highlighted some key players that played a large part in the success of the team; “Cale Clay, senior shortstop and Connors State Commit, is one of our senior leaders. He’s a great competitor and teammate. He always gives 100 percent on the field. Seth Springfield, catcher and Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa commit has been great behind the plate. He has a good feel for the game, and he calls 99 percent of the pitches. He is a fiery kid. Jace May, right fielder, was one of our better hitters. He had several big hits this season and is a solid outfielder. Pitchers include Keegan Robertson, Logan Smith, James Childers, and Ben Ellis- all underclassmen. They were really good all season. They give us a chance to win every game.” 

Every player on the team has put in hard work to have a successful season. It has clearly paid off, and their hard work has deemed them Class A State Champions. 

 Going into the State tournament, Rattan’s team had a bit of an advantage as coach Clay explained.

 “Every player on this team has been to the state tournament every season. Every starter on this team, regardless of class, has been in the starting lineup since their freshman year. That’s kind of cool. I haven’t ever realized that.”

The Rattan Rams are a baseball powerhouse that has the state champion title to prove it.