By Charles Chaney
TOPEKA — The end of the season was more than that for El Dorado on Wednesday afternoon.
After the 10-0 loss to Tonganoxie, it signaled the end of an era for EHS baseball as head coach Adam McCormick coached his last game before moving to Joplin, Mo.
“The phrase ‘once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat’ rings true because this place will never leave me,” McCormick said post game. “They gave me the first chance to be a head coach and I cannot thank the administration enough for trusting me in my process. They let me do what I needed to do to get these guys where we felt we needed to be.”
The Wildcats finish the year, 14-13, their first winning year under McCormick. It’s the first winning season for Eldo baseball since 2015.
“This group [2025 seniors] is special,” McCormick said. “I had them in seventh grade basketball right before COVID hit and I was able to watch these guys grow up and develop into great young men. I’m just glad I was able to have a small part in that they’re great kids, great families and so I’m just glad I was able to have a small part in, you know, their athletic careers and their success.”
McCormick helped turn around a program that had only three wins each of the previous two seasons. He won seven in his first season and then in his second year, he took the Cats to the state tournament. It was all delayed by a year as COVID intervened his first year of coaching.
“That was crazy,” he said. “This school and team is just about resiliency. That happened and then we bounced back and won seven games that first year with very little varsity experience. The next year we punch our ticket to state and we’ve been in games. I don’t know how many extra inning games we played in my career but it seemed like a bunch of them.”
The Wildcats resiliency was on display all season as they started out the year 2-8 before getting hot in the second half of the season, including going 6-2 in their next eight.
They were led by a strong senior class and will have plenty of talent returning next season in players like Charlie Beggs, Hunter Poe and Jett Sheffler to name a few.
For El Dorado to have their first winning season and go to the toughest regional was unfortunate but they never quit.
Even as Tonganoxie was threatening a run-rule in the fifth, Sam Green pitched out of a jam and gave the Wildcats life.
From there, they loaded the bases before leaving them loaded. They had their chances.
“We battled against a really good team today,” McCormick said. “One game doesn’t define us or what we’ve done this season. That’s a testament to the culture we’ve created here in El Dorado. I was proud of the way we battled.”
For McCormick, six years in El Dorado and now he’s having to give his final post game speech.
For someone who’s put his heart, soul and blood into the school and program. He’s earned the right to go out on his own terms.
“I feel like I’m leaving it better than we got here.”
Tongaonxie 10, El Dorado 0 F/5
EHS 000 000 X – 0 1 2
THS 232 201 X – 10 11 0
W – Bartlett. L – Perkins. 2B – Davenport (T), Marcouillier (T). 3B – Morenz (T).
