When Lindsey-Wilson College beat Tennessee Wesleyan in the rubber game of the NAIA regional championships this weekend at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tenn., it not only meant that the Blue Raiders would be making their first appearance in the Avista-NAIA World Series, but it also signaled a remarkable milestone in the history of Logan County High School baseball.
Former Cougar Ryan Harper is the leading hitter for Coach Jonathan Burton’s team. He is batting an even .400 (42 of 105) with a homer, 13 doubles, 22 RBIs, 23 runs scored, 9 walks and 4 times hit by a pitch for a .455 on-base percentage. He has not grounded into a single double play all season.
If the Blue Raiders (41-17) win their World Series opener against Vanguard University of Southern California (38-20) this Friday at 9 a.m. PDT in Lewiston, Idaho, they will then meet number two seed Faulkner University of Montgomery, Ala. (48-13) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Faulkner joins top-seeded Oklahoma Baptist in receiving a bye.
John Logan Dockins is a senior first baseman on the Faulkner team, as reported previously in The LoJo.
Dockins and Harper were long-time teammates on Coach Ethan Meguiar’s Cougars. Harper is a junior while Dockins recently graduated from Faulkner. The odds of these high school teammates playing against each other in a World Series game two times zones away from Logan County would have appeared to be infinite.
Harper scored the winning run in two of L-W’s wins in the Mid-South Conference Tournament, which was played at Bowling Green Ballpark two weeks ago.
In a 2-0 win over defending NAIA World Series champion Cumberland University of Tennessee, he singled and then slid home under the tag after Cumberland pitcher Jake Collins made a bad throw on a pickoff move.
In a 4-3 win over St. Catharine, Harper was intentionally walked. Dustin Woody sacrificed him over, and Harper raced home from second on a single by Brandon Munoz for the winners’ fourth and decisive run.
His grandparents, Paul and Wanda Harper, were among those in attendance in East Tennessee.
If the Blue Raiders lose their World Series opener. They will faced the loser of Embry-Riddle (39-17) and Tabor College of Kansas (53-10) Saturday at 9 a.m.