The Grand Rapids Christian baseball team entered the week needing just one win in it's three game series with rival East Grand Rapids to claim the OK White conference championship.
The Eagles got it done on the first chance with a 4-3 win in game one of a doubleheader Monday.
Senior Trevor Seth put GRC up for good with a two-run double in the bottom in the bottom of the fourth inning.
"It is kind of a lot and especially against East Grand Rapids who is our rival," Seth said. "It feels really good to finally come out on top after putting in a lot of years of work for this team."
"I think our expectations are pretty high," sophomore Josh Winkle said. "This was maybe what we were thinking about and think it is pretty good for us."
Winkle was the starting pitcher in the opener and allowed just one earned run in six innings.
Winkle's classmate Kyle Remington recorded the final three outs in the seventh inning to get the save.
The Eagles have five sophomores and a freshman playing large roles on the team and none of them had played high school baseball at any level prior to this season because last year was canceled.
"Well as a freshman it was kind of weird not playing,"Winkle said. "Playing this year is kind of weird being on the varsity right away and not having a freshman season at all."
"We've got a young team," head coach Brent Gates said. "Where they are right now, they missed their freshman year so really they are eighth graders coming out and there is a lot of teams in that situation but we're a young team and they growing and learning and playing in the OK White is fantastic, you are tested every week so for these young guys to be able to come in and win the OK White tonight is something special."
It doesn't hurt to be coached by a guy who played seven years in the majors and led Grand Rapids Christian to consecutive titles in 2012 and 2013.
Brent Gates is once again the head coach of the Eagles after stepping down following the 2013 state championship.
"They are very smart," Winkle said about the coaching staff. "They have a lot of knowledge for the game so it is nice to learn from them and have them share their experiences from where they've been."
The Eagles also won game two on Monday 13-9 improving to 22-9 on the season with just three game left before the state tournament starts next week.
"We talk about it, and we are not afraid to talk about it," Gates said. "That is sort of an expectation around here we want to make a run in the state playoffs every year we are here, so they have put the work in now it is just a matter of going out and doing the job."
Christian High will open with Godwin Heights in the district tournament on June 5th at Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
