'This one's for Lee Tingle': Resurrection Catholic honors late coach with 2023 MHSAA Class 1A State Championship

PEARL — When Johnny Olson retired following the state championship in 2022, Resurrection Catholic was in the market for another baseball coach.

Lee Tingle was the obvious choice. The father of a former Resurrection player and uncle of one current one, by all accounts, had a wonderful baseball mind, a kind demeanor and the competitive edge that garners respect from players and opposing coaches alike.

When Lee passed away from a rare brain disease in December, everything changed. Aron Frederic stepped up to take the helm, and the team rallied around their late coach.

On Thursday afternoon at Trustmark Park, the Eagles put the finishing touches on an emotional rollercoaster of a season, lifting the 2023 MHSAA Class 1A State Championship trophy following a 10-1 win over West Union and a two-game series sweep.

It was their second one in a row and the program’s second in history.

“This one’s for coach Lee Tingle,” Frederic said. “You know, we just played for him all season long. We’ve endured a lot in the last nine months. The players have come out and put forth the effort we needed to get here each day. This one is for him and the Tingle family. It’s for Trace and Cole. He was a huge part of this program, and we wouldn’t be here today without him.”

One thing’s for sure: Tingle would have been more than proud of this group.

After rallying to an 8-7 win in Tuesday’s Game 1, the Eagles (30-8) rode a huge pitching performance from Lee’s nephew Cole Tingle.

The senior gave up one earned run after allowing back-to-back singles in the first inning, and never allowed another hit. His final stat line: seven innings, one run on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts. He threw 55 of his 85 pitches for a strike.

West Union (28-6) held fast to that 1-0 lead until the fifth, when Resurrection busted things open with a four-spot. They tacked on six more runs in the sixth to put the game far out of reach.

Union starter Cole Willard pitched well for 4.1 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits with two walks, but when the floodgates opened for Resurrection, there was no stopping the Eagles. Grant Martin gave up six runs (two earned) in 1.1 innings of relief work.

Right fielder Jesus San Miguel led the way with two hits, two runs and an RBI and earned MVP honors for the series. Shortstop Walker Frederic, centerfielder Max Askew, catcher Luke Schnoor and designated hitter Justin San Miguel all drove in runs.

But the star of Game 2 was definitely Cole Tingle. In addition to his performance on the mound, he added a two-run single in the sixth.

Tingle’s final pitch in the seventh induced a ground ball off the bat of Benton Burks, and most of the Resurrection bench was on the field before Frederic’s throw to first popped into Nick Watts’ glove for the final out. The Eagles collapsed near the pitcher’s mound into a dog-pile that was part celebration, part tears and all heart.

“We definitely had a tough off-season and we started slow,” Tingle said. “But we learned how to play with each other, came together and put together a run of 16 or 17 wins in a row, and we really never looked back.”

The back-to-back losses were the first for West Union all season. Coach Ashley Russell said they will miss their lone senior C.J. Shirley next year, but that the Eagles should be back in 2024.

“It’s hard to get here,” Russell said. “And it’s even harder to win it once you do. But we’ve got a special group of players and we’ll work as hard as we can to get back down here and get another crack at it.”