Championship no longer out of reach

Franklin baseball coach Jim Hughes was trying to get things done around the house Friday. He was also trying to take care of some end-of-season tasks like ordering plaques for his players and putting the finishing touches on his team's banquet.

Only problem was, the phone at the Hughes residence kept ringing, and ringing and ringing.

"I didn't know I had that many friends," Hughes said.

That's what happens when you win your first state championship and the first in school history after spending nearly four decades chasing one.

In his 1,133rd game as a high school varsity baseball coach, Hughes finally walked away from Bukolt Park in Stevens Point carrying the state's top prize - the golden trophy awarded to the WIAA Summer Baseball State Tournament champion.

Behind an offensive onslaught, his Sabers defeated West Bend West, 11-4, in the state final July 29, after consecutive pitching gems got Franklin through a 5-0 quarterfinal win over New Berlin West and a 5-1 victory over Waukesha West.

"This is the one thing we didn't get," Hughes said. "We had a lot of kids come through the program that got really close. It's for everybody that didn't make it."

A remarkable one-third - eight of 24 - of Franklin's seasons with Hughes at the helm have ended at the state tournament, but prior to this season, the only other time the Sabers played in the state championship game was in 2000 when Franklin lost to Brookfield Central, 8-3.

Lots of close calls

Two other Franklin state trips ended in the semifinals, including last year when many of the same players on this year's squad got a taste of their first state tournament.

Despite all the near misses and late-season heartbreak, Hughes never thought he was destined not to win the big one. Though he had said in the past that he would have been OK had he never gotten a championship, he never believed that was his fate.

"You just keep going and figure you have the same chance everybody else has," Hughes said. "You never think that (you won't win). If you think that you shouldn't be in there. You have to believe you can beat anybody."

The Sabers, who placed fifth in the Greater Metro Conference and second in the conference tournament, got hot at the right time. Just a few games over .500 at 17-12 one week into July, Franklin won 13 of its final 15 games under Hughes.

Impressive record

The championship-game victory improved Franklin to 30-14, the school's ninth 30-win season in Hughes' tenure. It was the 748th win of his career, adding to Hughes' state record for most wins ever, a mark he set with a regional final win over Greenfield on July 20.

Hughes' career accomplishments have not been lost on his players, all of whom are at least six years younger than their coach's career at the school.

"It's awesome to get this win for him," said junior center fielder Lance Baretz. "The way he handles the team, I guarantee there is no other coach in the state that does it like him. He's the best at what he does."

"It's amazing to get him his first championship. We got him the record-breaking win, and it's awesome we can top the cake with this," said junior Ryan Geil, the winning pitcher in the state title game.

Not quitting yet

So now that Hughes has set the all-time win mark and captured his elusive title, he's bound to be thinking of retirement, right? Not so fast.

The Sabers will have much of their championship team intact next summer, losing only staff ace Brandon Wiedenfeld, starting catcher Matt Sklander, starting second baseman Adam Kaniewski and reserve Eric Charbonneau. According to Hughes, the question that should be asked is not, "Why would he come back?" it is, "Why wouldn't he?"

"I'm coming back next year," he said. "I made that decision before I came (to state). Beyond that, I don't get into that. It's a good group; we've got a lot of good guys coming back so that was a no-brainer. Hopefully, I can keep my health and be able to do it."

With loads of talent returning, Hughes' wait for championship No. 2, might be far shorter than it was for No. 1. But for now, the players are just happy to be the ones to finally push the veteran coach over the top.

"It's fantastic," Sklander said. "It will be something we'll always remember. He's been coaching for so long and he's long overdue for this. It's great to be the team to give it to him."