Wister wins with class

It’s hard enough to reach the finals of the baseball LeFlore County Tournament.

And it’s even harder to actually win the tournament.

That is certainly true, but Wister’s baseball program is a different story.

The Wister seniors reached the finals all four years, winning their second title in three years with a 5-3 win over Spiro in the finals Saturday.

This group also won as sophomores and finished second as freshmen and as juniors.

Saturday’s win had to be even sweeter for the Wildcats by winning over Spiro on the Bulldogs’ home field. This came one year after Spiro won the LCT over Wister on the Wildcats’ home turf.

Many of the same players competed for both teams and it was a three-day war to cap off the tournament.

Wister won the first game, lost the second one Friday night to force a championship game, then got the lead and made it stand up behind the pitching of Cody Luman and an excellent defense which pulled off a pair of double plays and threw two runners out at the plate.

Clint Crane was the winning pitcher in the first game against Spiro and was 3-3 in the finals. He was named the tournament MVP for his play.

Luman also delivered for the Wildcats, pitching Wister to the win in the finals and also going the distance on Tuesday against Poteau.

And the win came despite Wister playing without Tyler Gibson, another standout pitcher for the Wildcats, who is out with an injury.

Saturday’s championship win continued to build on the Wildcats’ impressive resume, which includes a Class 2A state championship last spring and frequent trips to the state tournament.

The most impressive part of Wister’s play is the way the Wildcats play. They don’t talk trash or try to distract or embarrass the opponent.

And Wister’s success and class is what will be remembered.