SPORTS YEAR IN REVIEW: Russellville Golden Tigers dominate baseball playoff run, bring home state

Going 10-0 in the 2015 playoffs is perhaps the most impressive part of Russellville’s run to the championship. The team swept all five series its appeared in, winning in convincing fashion, defeating Helena in the 5A baseball state championship series.

But the season didn’t always look as though a state championship was viable. The 0-3 start coupled with the rainy season saw Russellville coming out of the blocks sluggish and maybe unprepared. It was tough for any team in the area to really get out and get any solid practice time in on the field, never mind getting games in.

“These guys are as solid of a group of guys as you could ask for, and when they get out there and perform like they know they can, then they always give us a great chance to win,” Coach Heaps said.

Behind starters Cody Greenhill and Jacob Green, the Golden Tigers didn’t lose a single playoff game on their way to securing the blue map.

“It’s an honor to be here and to be a part of something like this,” first-year athletic director and head football Coach Mark Heaton said. “Some coaches coach their entire careers, and some athletic directors stick with programs their entire careers, and never get to witness one state title, so this past couple of weeks has been special.”