Prior to Monday night, Columbus East had not won a baseball sectional since 1999.
The head coach of that Olympians squad was Gene Wise. One of his assistants was Russ Brummett.
Fast forward 19 years, and Brummett’s grandson Klayton is the senior center fielder on the East squad. Wise’s son Kaden is a freshman pitcher.
The connections weren’t lost on Russ Brummett.
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“He said that the last time we won sectional, there was a Wise and a Brummett,” Klayton Brummett said. “Sure enough, the next time there’s a Wise and a Brummett, we win sectional.”
Gene Wise coached the Olympians from 1995 to 2004. His first year, in 1995, they lost to Columbus North in the sectional final. Until Monday, that was the last time the teams had met in the sectional final.
Wise then led East to back-to-back sectional titles in 1996 and 1997. The Olympians won again in 1999 behind seniors Kenny Hackney, Michael Stark and Clint Garrett.
“They kind of carried us through,” Gene Wise said. “They did really well. We had those three seniors that led us, and then we had some really good junior pitchers that year.”
That pitching staff was led by Josh Land and Martin Cox.
This year’s East squad features five seniors, including four starters. Like the 1999 team, it also features a deep pitching staff that features underclassmen in sophomore Cole Gilley and junior Julian Greenwell, along with seniors Alec Burnett and Drew Hasson.
“(The 1999 team) was just a good group of kids, a lot like these guys,” Gene Wise said. “They get along well, and that’s a neat thing because the cohesiveness makes it neat to see.”
Gene Wise still teaches at Northside Middle School. Since giving up the East job, he has coached his son’s travel baseball teams.
Although Kaden Wise did not play in the sectional, he appeared in six regular-season games and is 2-0 with a 3.87 ERA in 12 2/3 innings.
“I told my son, ‘Cherish every game because you never know when it’s going to happen each game,’” Gene Wise said. “They’ve worked hard this year. It’s a good group of kids. For my son to be a freshman, just to be a part of it is kind of a neat thing.”
After the Olympians beat East Central on Friday night to advance to the sectional title game, the former coach reminded his son about the legacy he was carrying on.
“For the whole three days we were waiting, he said, ‘The last time we won sectional, there was a Wise and a Brummett.’ He said, ‘We can do it again this year,’” Kaden Wise said. “It feels like just passing on the tradition with the family right now.”
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Evansville Reitz Regional
Saturday at Bosse Field
11 a.m. EST (10 a.m. CST): Columbus East vs. Castle
1:30 p.m. EST (12:30 p.m. CST): Franklin Central vs. Jeffersonville
7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. CST): Championship
Admission: $7 per session or $10 for both sessions
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