New Life Academy Comes From Humble Beginnings To Be State Champions
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – In its first trip to the state tournament, New Life Academy's baseball team has its first state title.
It's pretty incredible when you think about where this program was just four years ago.
"Pretty much nowhere, " Sam Horton, a pitcher and infielder on the team, said. "We had a really, really young team. We didn't have great equipment. It was pretty much a couple guys bought bats and the team used those. Not much. It wasn't much of a program at all."
He says he dreamed of playing at Target Field before his high school career was over.
"But I didn't think it was even going to be really possible," Horton said. "We've been pretty much the same team for about four years now. Me and my brother and a few other seniors and juniors have been starting since 8th grade. It's just been building and building since. "
Four years of building.
And this season, it all came together.
"At the beginning of the season, (after) practicing and playing a few early games with these guys, I knew this was possible, " Horton said.
And after they lifted that trophy, it all set in what they had accomplished.
"This is amazing" New Life coach Dave Darr said. "You hope you can get here one day. And then to win the whole thing, I don't know if I can explain the feeling right now. "