Shelbyville Central's Golden Eagle baseball team just completed one of their most successful seasons ever, just one win away from the TSSAA Spring Fling.
The team advanced to the State sectional round for the first time in 30 years, and there is an interesting side story to this accomplishment.
Bubba Shavers was a member of the 1993 Golden Eagle team that advanced to the then called "Sub-State".
His son, Mason, is a member of this year's team and just competed in the State Sectionals Tournament.
"Once I realized that the team had advanced to the Sectional and it had been 30 years since that had happened, I knew I was a member of that team and thought how fortunate it was that my son would get to play in the round just like I did 30 years earlier," Bubba Shavers said. "I am so proud of this team and what all they have accomplished and the direction this team is headed."
Bubba has some fond memories of his experience of the postseason back in 1993.
"I was a junior on that team and didn't get a lot of playing time. Our coach was Jimmy Williams and we faced Bradley Central in the Sub-State," Shavers said. "I don't remember our overall record but we finished second in the district tournament and won the region over the defending state champion Warren County."
"We had a chance against Bradley Central, we were behind 4-3 and Stephen Davis hit a leadoff triple in the top of the seventh inning and we couldn't get him in," Shavers said. "I also remember a Bradley Central player hitting a home run over the tennis courts past centerfield. He missed home plate and was called out."
Mason was excited when he found out that his dad was a member of the last Shelbyville Central baseball team that had advanced to the Sectional/Sub-State.
"It was super neat to find out that it has been 30 years since my dad played in the state sectional, it was a great accomplishment for our team to make it to the sectional, everyone on our team contributed from (William) Bobo leading off this season with a lot of hits and getting our bats going to even the guys in the dugout yelling as loud as they can to get us motivated to "WIN EVERY PITCH" and playing free of fear, like coach (Chase Jones) always told us throughout this year," Mason said. "The last few weeks of the season were just so enjoyable to be around my teammates and coaches, we worked so hard to be the best team we can be and play the best baseball we could play and never giving up and always staying focused on winning every pitch. Coach Jones has always told us "I love being the underdog". The last few weeks of the season were a true underdog story, but we stayed focused and never let anything faze us."
Mason shares the love of the sport and team just like his father did 30 years ago.
"This team means so much to me, they are my brothers. We have always fought our hardest and never gave up even when we were the only people who believed in us. That's the Eagle way," Mason said. "Coach Jones has been the best coach, he doesn't care about what anyone thinks except the guys in the program. Our other coaches are the same way. They care for everyone on the team and they give up their time to make us the best baseball players and young men we can be."