WELSH, La. — A year ago, the Welsh Greyhounds walked off the diamond with a feeling that never quite left them.
A state championship loss shut out by Oak Grove lingered long after the final out. For many of the players who are now juniors, that moment didn’t fade. It fueled them.
“It stung a lot,” Grant Haydel, junior pitcher, stated . “I was pitching in that game, didn’t have my best outing, gave up a big hit. They ended up beating us pretty good. But I knew I wanted to be back.”
That hunger has defined this season.
Despite losing six seniors from last year’s squad, the Greyhounds didn’t take a step back. Instead, they leaned into growth, fixing past mistakes and embracing a simple but powerful mindset: stay in the process.
They call it “SIP.”
No matter the moment, good or bad, the focus stays the same. That approach has carried Welsh to a No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs. But inside the dugout, there’s no celebrating rankings.
“It brought us up for a little while, seeing we were the number one seed,” Cohen Fontenot, junior first baseman, said. “But then we realized seeds don’t matter. Anybody can beat anybody. We just have to stay true, play our game, and win one at a time.”
The work didn’t start this season; it started in the off season. Long hours, shared goals and a clear vision of where they want to go.
“We know what we’re supposed to do,” Nick Gillett, junior third baseman, stated. “We know where we’re headed.”
That belief is reinforced daily, even written where they can see it: We over me. It’s a reminder that this run isn’t about individual moments, it’s about finishing together. Head coach Caleb Hayes has seen the growth firsthand. Now, it’s about taking the final step.
“This group has worked hard,” Hayes said. “They’ve hit the ball better, put it in play more, but that comes from putting in the work. I’m hoping the experience we’ve gained is enough to get us over that hump and win it all.”
The Greyhounds aren’t just chasing wins. They’re chasing a moment, one they’ve been thinking about for a year, and this time, they’re determined to finish it.
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