When historic flooding swept through McLean County earlier this month, it left baseball fields under water, schools shuttered, and activities suspended indefinitely. For more than two weeks, McLean County High School’s baseball players never touched a ball, their season seemingly washed away along with so many other routines of normal life.
But when the Cougars finally returned, they didn’t just pick up where they left off — they wrote a new chapter of perseverance and pride.
On Saturday, McLean County pulled off a rare feat, winning two games in two states on the same day. They opened the morning with a 9-3 victory over Perry Central in Leopold, Indiana, before racing back home and topping Warren East 7-1 under the lights.
“It’s just about playing as many games as we can,” head coach Darren Lynam said. “After everything we’ve been through, we just want to give the kids every opportunity to get back out there.”
The team’s resilience has been on full display since their return to play on April 23. The Cougars (12-4) have now won four straight games after an involuntary 19-day break — a stretch during which the only field work was pumping out water and hauling debris.
After returning from a successful spring break trip to Florida — riding a five-game winning streak — the Cougars came home to devastation. Torrential rains caused widespread flooding across McLean County, submerging homes, roads, and the school’s baseball field. From April 7 to April 23, there were no practices, no games, and no in-person classes.
Even after the water began receding, the field wasn’t immediately playable. The outfield was saturated, dugouts were damaged, and the team’s clubhouse sat under nearly 10 inches of water. Railroad ties lining the bullpen floated away, and the warning track was strewn with debris.
That’s when the spirit of a small town showed up in force.
About 15 parents and volunteers organized a workday, helping coaches rebuild the battered diamond. Mowers made their way through the muck, tarps were hauled across the field between rainstorms, and the battered bullpen was rebuilt by hand. Players, too, spent time before and after practices doing whatever it took to restore their field.
“It was all hands on deck,” Lynam said. “Coaches, parents, players — everybody pitched in. It really shows you what kind of community we have here.”
And now, the Cougars are making the most of every pitch.
In Saturday’s opener against Perry Central, Jax Lee dominated on the mound, allowing just one run over four innings and striking out six. Connor Mitchuson came on in relief and added six more strikeouts, giving up just one run. Hayden Hudson drove in three runs at the plate, while Layden Bozarth and Jaelin Groves combined for four RBIs. Lee helped his own cause with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate.
The Cougars wasted no time once they returned home, dispatching Warren East 7-1. Hudson added two more RBIs, while Groves stayed hot with a 2-for-4 performance. Corbin Martin and Houston Whitaker also plated runs, while Martin and Bozarth teamed up to hold Warren East to just one earned run on the mound.
After everything they’ve weathered — from sunshine in Florida to storms in Kentucky — Lynam said his players are simply grateful to be back on the diamond.
“They’re just happy to be back on the field,” Lynam said. “When you have something you love taken away from you for a little while, it makes you appreciate it even more.”
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
