Most seniors expect to be done with school by the time graduation rolls around, but in 1979 four seniors were sticking around for a moment they would never forget-leading the baseball team to the state championship.

June 7 marks the 30th anniversary of the first and only state championship by the baseball team, then led by head coach Chuck Stevens. CHS beat Parkville of Baltimore County 4-3 to win the title.

“It was a feeling of great happiness and pride in having accomplished something that was significant,” said Mike Citren, who was the senior captain on the ’79 team. “The seniors’ graduation rehearsal was the next morning and it was great when it was announced at the rehearsal that our team had won and everybody cheered.”

The team was unsure of what to expect going into the season, despite winning the county championship the year before. The team was very young, starting six juniors and just three seniors.

“As the season [went on] we won a couple of close games and our expectations began to rise,”Citren said. “The team had terrific pitching and great defense which kept us in every game. We won a lot of close games, and began to believe that we could beat anybody we played.”

The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a record of 16-5 and in a three way tie for second; only four teams made the playoffs back then. After a tiebreaker, the team received a third seed in the playoffs and was slated for a first round match up against Northwood.
The baseball team defeated Northwood in the first round and then won a thrilling game against the now closed Peary High School in extra innings.

“[Peary was] always a good sports school, especially in baseball, and they had beaten us twice in the regular season,” Citren said. “The [playoff] game was a zero to zero tie through 13 innings. It was an incredibly tense game as Peary had the bases loaded twice in extra innings but failed to score. Finally, we scored two runs in the top of the 14th inning and we won 2-0.”

After beating Peary, the Bulldogs went on to defeat Parkville in a tight 4-3 game, which included a homerun by then junior Bobo Fitzpatrick. For the victory, the team received a plaque acknowledging its state championship, and the school received a large trophy and a banner that is still displayed in the gymnasium.

“1979 was a magical year for [Stevens] and our team and I think we all knew we accomplished something very cool,” Citren said. “I know Churchill has not won another baseball championship, and I hope one day they will so other players can experience the great feeling we had.”

Despite the seemingly great importance of this championship to the baseball program as a whole, many players do not even realize that it is the anniversary.

“A state championship means everything to the team, but it is a shame that no one acknowledges the fact that we have won it before,” junior captain Bryce Shemer said. “If the players realize that it has been 30 years too long, I think that might be an extra boost for us.”