Apparently, the harder the fall, the higher you bounce back. Or at least that seems to be the case with Washburn baseball.

Less than a year after the shocking and devastating loss of 30-year head baseball coach Steve Anson, who inarguably has a place among the legends of Washburn, the Ichabods are continuing to fight on.

And not just fight on, but make history.

After Coach Anson’s coaching record was set to rest, his men picked up where their leader left off and are now setting a new record.

The 2015 baseball season has not started great, it has started perfect. 14-0.

For a team to lose such a coach, mentor and figurehead such as Anson and then be able to turn around about half a year later and operate flawlessly is something I find baffling. The amount of heart that the Ichabods baseball team has must be immeasurable.

One factor that I believe has made this possible is the excellent choice by the Washburn athletic department to promote from within.

A national search was conducted to find a replacement for Anson, but in the end Harley Douglas, an assistant coach to Anson, was named head coach.

Douglas already knew the players and they knew him. With a new coach, it may have been a “wipe the slate clean, we’re starting over” situation. But with Douglas at the helm, even though he has made some changes, there was a lot of history for the team to continue to build on. And most importantly, by not bringing in someone new, the team was able to stay a family from top to bottom.

The heart and determination that the baseball team is playing with is truly inspiring, and reflects greatly on our school.

I would like to personally extend my congratulations and admiration to Coach Harley Douglas and the 2015 Washburn baseball team.