YORKTOWN, VA (WAVY) — It’s been a long time since York baseball has seen the top of the VHSL mountain.
“It’s a ride we didn’t expect to be on this early, but we’re here to make the most of it,” said Falcons head coach Nick Ham.
Ham came into this program and immediately began to turn things around. During his two seasons at York, Ham has led this team to back-to-back winning seasons. It’s a mark the Falcons haven’t seen since they did it in 2015-16.
“They’ve been working hard the last few months,” Ham said. “Just trying to play as long as they can. Last step is to play on graduation day.”
But Ham also brought along a new staff last year, including a new assistant coach who he’s known for years.
“I met him my eighth-grade year at Woodside,” said assistant coach Connor Steele, who pitched for Ham when they were both at Woodside just a few years ago. “He comes off a little on the edge, but once you get to know him, he’s one of the best guys you get to know.”
That combination of great coaching and hard work has led the Falcons to the Class 3 state semifinal game, where they’ll take on Pulaski County. It hasn’t only been a turnaround program in the past few years, but even just as recently as this year, things didn’t look great.
“It’s been an interesting season because we started 1-4 and we were able to turn it around,” said shortstop Will Hunt.
But chemistry, and a lot of effort got them here.
“It feels good,” said sophomore pitcher Jack Harmon. “I feel very privileged to be in this spot with this team. We have a lot of boys we connect with. It’s not a team, it’s a friend group.”
“It would be pretty cool to see our team in history for the school. It’s going to be on those banners for awhile,” said senior infielder Casey Cheaney.
The Falcons will take on Pulaski County for a chance at the state championship at 2 p.m. Friday.