Whether a team has done it once or often, the heart of a champion dies hard!

After winning the LHSAA Division V state championship in baseball among “non-select” schools last spring, the first in the history of Quitman High School, the Wolverines proved that adage to be true on Thursday by beating Class 5A Parkway High School by a 4-3 margin.

It has been a rough start to the 2025 season for Quitman and first year head coach, Chris Womack, who moved up from being a top QHS assistant last year after Joe Lockhart departed after a long tenure. 

Gone were six starters from the title team, including most of the pitching staff, forcing Womack and staff to begin the season with many untested players getting their first varsity experience. Growing pains were expected.

In Quitman’s first four games, the Wolverines managed only 4 runs, including being shut out in their first two contests, leading to an 0-4 start to the year. Still Womack and staff remained confident as the young core of players showed steady improvement from game to game. 

This past week it started to all come together as the young Wolverines, who remembered the joys of winning state last year started to rekindle the feeling of success.

First it was a thrilling 2-1,victory on Tuesday over Division III D’Arbonne Woods Charter where Quitman showed a true champion’s heart by rallying late to tie and then winning the contest in extra innings. 

Strengthened by the success, the Wolverines ventured to Bossier City to take on Class 5A Parkway High School, who at 2-0 on the year was ranked #10 in the state in Louisiana Prep Baseball’s Power Poll coming in.

Playing under frigid conditions, the Wolverines jumped out to a 1-0 lead that was stretched to 3-0 by the top of the sixth inning. Proving their mettle, Parkway scored a run in the bottom of the sixth and after Quitman had plated another run in the top of the final frame to go up 4-1, the home standing team came roaring back.  Three straight singles and a hit batsman narrowed the margin to 4-3 with no outs and the tying run on second base. Quitman captain, Maddox Duck, one of the few returning players with experience in tight situations which QHS thrived in last spring, then knuckled down on the mound and retired the next three batters in only six pitches to preserve the win.

Perhaps even more important than the impressive victory which improved the Wolverines to 2-4 on the year was the clutch play of the four freshmen starters in the lineup, each making major contributions late in the game.

It was in the top of the 6th inning with Quitman holding the slim 1-0 lead after returning elder statesmen, Hudson Pullig and Hayden Davis had chilled the Parkway bats for five innings that the “youngsters” started showing their ability. 

With Pullig on first following his second hit of the game, Tucker Newton, who coming in had one hit in 13 at bats, stroked a single to right field, advancing Pullig to third base. Sophomore, Cail King, got hit by a pitch, bringing up Ayden Greer, who had only one official at bat prior to the game. Unfazed by the pressure, Greer stroked a two out single to left field that scored Pullig and Newton. 

Asher Rhodes and Zach Smudricks also came up big for Quitman, with Rhodes superbly handling the four pitchers used by Quitman in the game from his catchers position and Smudricks quelling a strong Parkway rally attempt in the bottom of the sixth inning by stranding two runners after the Panthers had scored their first run of the game assisted by a highlight reel diving catch in deep right field by Pullig.