2003 Hamilton High Baseball Team
Under Coach Mike Woods, the 2003 Hamilton Huskies baseball team won the 5A State Championship. This was the first State Championship for Hamilton High in any sport. The team defeated Horizon High in the championship game, 5-1. The semifinal game featured a legendary comeback, probably the greatest in Arizona baseball history. Down 9-0 to Brophy in the bottom of the 6th inning, and on the verge of losing via the dreaded mercy rule, Hamilton scratched across two runs to give the team confidence. Relief pitcher Adam Vincent came on in the top of the 7th and pitched a perfect 1-2-3 inning. The bottom of the 7th was stunning – the Huskies sent 11 men to the plate, and 8 of them scored. The winning run was scored by pinch runner Cody Foster on a Bryan Higgins RBI single. Hamilton won 10-9, and moved onto the Championship game against Horizon High School. That game featured none of the drama of the semifinals. Ace pitcher C.J. Retherford shut down the vaunted Horizon offense, leading Hamilton to a 5-1 victory and the school’s first ever state championship. They finished with a 27-10 record. Seven members of the team went on to play collegiate or professional baseball: Eric Farris, C.J. Retherford, Travis Peep, Brandon Farmer, Tommy Croenwett, Marc Gruner, and Adam Vincent. Farris (Class of 2014) and Vincent (Class of 2012) have individually been inducted into the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame. The team was inducted into the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame on February 7, 2015.