Growls make it to the Final Four and Coach celebrates 300th win

From May 4-May 18, the Growls have won five straight loser-out playoff games to get to the Final Four for the third time in program history (2002, 2016), including a 5-3 win over #1 seed Bellevue Christian last Saturday that included two home runs by Bear Creek senior Michael K. 

The Growls have made it to the state tournament 10 times, including 6 of the last 7.

This 2024 team was not really expected to make it to this point when practices began in February. Eight seniors from the 2023 squad graduated and we knew this was going to be a young team with just six upperclassmen in the program. It took the team a little while in March to find their identity and figure out exactly what they had with this group of freshmen, but the young guys like Brendan W. (’27) and Hank D. (’26) have developed as players and as competitors. Some of the older players like Anirudh S. (’25) have really taken the next step toward being elite players and leaders. 

The season included the 300th career victory for Head Coach Mike Davidson, a 2-0 win over University Prep on the final day of the regular season. 

“When I think about those 300 wins, my mind goes back to all of the different teams and all of the different players and families who have been a part of this going back to 2002. Most of those players in the earlier years have families of their own now, and two of them even have a family together (infielders Ashley Fisk ’02 and Bruce Stead ’02),” Davidson says. “The culture those early teams built has been handed down through generations of players who all had a part in that 300 number. I am also so fortunate to have shared the entire 23 year journey with Assistant Coach Tom Sugano, who has been a mentor and steady support for me since I started this coaching journey.”

Davidson went on to say, “I am most proud of the way we have built this program as a combine between Overlake and Bear Creek. Neither school would have been able to field a team on their own when the combine program was launched, and over the years almost always one school or the other would not have had the numbers to make it. For decades our baseball players have had teammates and built friendships with guys they would not have known otherwise, and I love seeing those warm greeting for each other when they compete against each other in different sports. Helping to build those player and family relationships across school communities has been a special honor for me.”

Overlake-Bear Creek Growls play in the State Semifinal game at 7:00pm on Friday, against Tenino at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham. A win would put the Growls in the championship game Saturday at 7:00pm. Go Growls!