Jay Royals Win First State Championship in 54 Years

The Jay Royals celebrate after receiving the 2024 Class 1A championship trophy.

The Jay Royals are state champions.

The last time that news broke, none of the current players were even born. Most likely, neither were any of their parents.

For the first time in 54 years dating back to the 1970 baseball season, the Royals won the state championship. With a relentless attack and an unwavering resolve, the Royals rallied again to come back for a 6-3 win over the Bozeman Bucks in the Class 1A state final at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

“This feels great. We worked every day for it and this feels amazing,” sophomore Nick Baxley said. “We deserved it, and we just came together to make it happen. Ever since the start of the season we knew we could make it happen, and we did.”

The teams also endured a weather delay on Thursday that pushed the start time back by four hours, for a game that was played under the lights instead of the afternoon sun.

Jay (19-10) overcame a two-run hole and eventually grabbed the lead with three runs in the fifth. The Royals then added a pair of valuable insurance runs by scoring in each of the final two frames, before closing things out to record the final out with the bases full of Bucks and the winning run represented in the batter at the plate in the bottom of the seventh.

That was par the course for their path through both state tournament games, as the Royals proved too tough to beat by rallying to victory in both Final Four games. That totaled to eight comeback wins overall during the year, including three during their playoff run.

Ethan McDonald celebrates with his fellow Royals after one of many clutch hits during their state final victory.

“This team just doesn’t quit,” senior starting pitcher Ethan McDonald said. “They don’t give up, no matter what the circumstances are. We’ve faced adversity the whole week. We faced adversity today with the rain delay. We fought adversity the whole season. We had to play a one o’clock game at Jay after a Tornado hit. It’s just playing the game. You face adversity and that’s life.”

McDonald and his teammates felt that challenge right away, after the Bucks (27-4) jumped out with the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Zack Flitcraft led off with a single to shallow center, Brooks Skipper walked and then both runners advanced on a passed ball. McDonald responded by retiring the next two batters, but then Lane Hathaway laced a line drive past first base and up the right field line for a two-RBI double and a 2-0 lead.

That lead held strong, as the Royals went down in order in both the second and third innings. Flitcraft made the start for Bozeman, and the first time through the order he tossed three scoreless frames while allowing just one base runner.

Brooks Skipper races around third base to score in the bottom of the first to give Bozeman a 2-0 lead.

But that base runner was McDonald, who connected for a double with one out in the first. He then came back around to lead off the order in the top of the fourth, and he lit the spark once again. Down 1-2 in the count, he lined a single past second base to get it started. Baxley quickly moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, and Brady Godwin cut the deficit in half with an RBI single to left.

McDonald went 3-for-4 with two runs on the day, continually delivering in big moments to lead his club.

“It’s my last chance and I had to get the job done. I knew if I got things going people were going to hit behind me, and that’s exactly what happened,” McDonald said. “I’m just so proud of my guys. They did a fantastic job on bunts and moving runners over, and everything they did was just baseball.”

That cohesion was on full display in the fifth, when the Royals took the lead for good. Wyatt Peadin led off with a base hit to left, then stole second and also advanced to third on a wild pitch. Grayson Shehan did his job by rolling a single up the middle to tie the game, and Ryan Starosta kept it going by dropping down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Shehan to second. A fielder’s choice from Jax Lowery then erased the lead runner at third, when McDonald again shifted the momentum their way with another single to center.

The Royals take the lead with two runs on an RBI hit from Nick Baxley.

With two on and two out, Jay Manager Duane Raley made a bold and aggressive call for both base runners to steal, and the move worked to get both guys into scoring position for Baxley. He came through with the deciding swing, as he laced a single to right field to drive in both runners and take a 4-2 lead.

Most any baseball player dreams of coming up the hero in the big moment of the championship game ever since they were little, but Nick Baxley actually did it.

We all had a part in it, though,” Baxley said. “We just all came together as a team and we executed what we were supposed to do. We just have faith in every single one of our players, whether they are on the bench or off the bench. We trust them, and whenever the bench comes into the game we know they are going to make plays and make it happen.”

Jay continued to make it happen. In the sixth, Landen Golden was hit by a pitch and then scored thanks to an RBI double to deep center from Shehan. Then, in the seventh, Jax Lowery led off with a double into the left field corner, advanced on a 6-3 ground out from McDonald and scored off an RBI double to left from Baxley.

Yet despite now trailing 6-2 and down to their final three outs, the Bucks continued to battle. Larry Street and Trey Power worked back-to-back walks with one out in the seventh, and two batters later Alex Goodwin loaded the bases on a single to right. Austin Purdie then blooped an RBI single over third base to bring the winning run to the plate, with the bases still loaded.

Ethan McDonald also made the start, allowing one earned run on two hits and four walks, with five strikeouts.

But a fly ball to right field went cleanly in the glove to record the final out and spark the Royal celebration.

“It’s a dream come true,” McDonald said. “It’s something we’ve worked for all year. A lot of people didn’t think we could do it, but we came together and we did it. As the season got further and further, everybody got more tight. We’ve been together, we’ve lost together and we’ve won together. This is a big win for us. There are so many young guys on this team and there is such a bright future for them. I’m so proud of them and so excited for them.”

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