After winning the 2019 USSSA High School State Tournament, the Arkansas Pulpwood 18u team was looking forward to defending their title in 2020. Arkansas Pulpwood 18u is a summer team based out of Camden. Local Dumas High 2020 graduate Walker Brown plays for this program to get repetitions during the summer to improve his game and to stay in shape for entering college at UAM this fall where he will join the baseball team, Walker Brown is the son of Mark and Jennifer Brown.
Walker led the APW team in the summer of 2019 in homeruns and gained recognition throughout the South part of the State as a feared batter by opposing pitchers. Having lost most of his high school season, where he was positioned to lead the Bobcats deep into post season, Brown found himself, along with his teammates and all of the Nations' spring sport participants, shut down for two and a half months. Brown had no idea if summer ball was even an option that would be allowed this season. Finally, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced re-opening plans throughout our great State, plans that included summer baseball. Given the risk of infection, health concerns, and fear-of-the unknown, most summer programs shut down for the season, or had a limited schedule. APW re-worked its' schedule to play available opponents and began play June 4. Brown was one of eight returning players from APW's 2019 USSSA State Champion team when the season began.
Shortley after the season began, one of APW's players had been exposed to COVID-19 and three players tested positive the following week. The Arkansas Department of Health stepped in and put all of the coaches and players in quarantine for 14 days. Five of the original eight returnees eventually fell off to Summer activities, injuries, and fear-of-the-unknown. Walker Brown remained steadfast, however, because of his love for the game.This is where Walker Brown's Summer Season took a turn for the positive. Instead of wallowing in his misery, Brown decided to keep working hard, giving his all each day the team took the field, and working hard on his own during the off days.
Camden, and host team, Arkansas Pulpwood, were given the opportunity to host the 2020 Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament July 31-August 2. By the start of the Senior Babe Ruth State, APW was down to three returnees from its' 2019 State Champion team - Gunner Branch (from Camden Fairview), Oren McCoy (Camden Fairview), and Dumas' own Walker Brown. These three were the nucleus that kept the team together and led APW to another State Title to end their 2020 COVID-19, weird season.
APW, based out of Camden, sponsors three summer baseball teams - 19 yrs & under, 16 & under, and 15 & under. With the shortage of opponents during the summer of 2020, once Camden was awarded the host site of the 2020 Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament, APW Manager John Dawson, III decided to enter his 16u team to increase the total number of teams participating and to give his younger team a final tournament versus older competition. APW's 16u team surprised everyone with their performance. The 16u team got its' biggest victories of the summer to reach the Finals of the 2020 Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament and set up an historic event of two teams from the same program playing for a State title.
The Championship game saw the younger team come out of the gate on fire, hitting everything the older team threw at them. The younger team led 3-2 after 1 inning, 7-6 after 4 innings, 10-9 after 5 innings, and 13-9 after batting in the top half of the 6th inning. Walker Brown led off the bottom half of the 6th inning for APW's older team with a shot into the right center gap for a stand up double. This sparked his team to score 4 runs and knot things up 13-13 after 6 complete innings. Both teams battled toe-to-toe but did not score in the 7th, forcing extra innings. Brown's older team threw out an APW 16u runner at the plate in the top half of the 8th and also threw out a runner advancing to 2nd on an outfield hit. The 16u team left 2 runners stranded to bring Brown's older team up in the bottom of the 8th, With 2 outs, Brown's longtime teammate Gunner Branch doubled down the leftfield line and advanced to third on an overthrow on the play. Preston White then drew a 5 pitch walk. The 16's allowed White to have second and turned their attention to APW 19's catcher, turned pitcher, Daeton Bassett to get the final out. Bassett delivered the game winner on a 2-2 count pitch with a hard grounder to third that the 16's third baseman couldn't handle, scoring Branch from third. Walker and his teammate's dogpiled each other with the final run scoring and giving his team another state title. Walker Brown finished the 2020 Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament 4-10 with 2 BB’s, 3 RBI’s and 4 runs scored.
"The game was a war! Both teams came to play and what a fun game to be part of! This will be remembered by all of these kids forever by their hustle and will to win. What a way to finish our season, playing each other for a state title and seeing the boys on both sides playing their hearts out. We've definitely had some tough things going against us this summer, but what a life story for these boys to remember! They've persevered beyond all to overcome and be rewarded for their hard work. This was a dream-come-true for me to see this level of ball with a state title on the line for two teams in our program. What a way to go out for Walker, Gunner, and Oren. I'm so proud for them!" Said Manager John Dawson, III.
