After 28 years of trying and 28 years of frustration, Lester White’s Lockeroom squad won the 2025 American Legion AAA state finals, the teams first since 1997, with a wild 11-8 victory over the Sportsman of Fort Smith on Tuesday night at Bryant.
The Lockeroom were able to jump out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the lead was short lived after Lockeroom starter Jordan Corbett left the bases loaded and Hayden Hyslip came in to relieve him. Hyslip was able to escape the jam only giving up 2 runs. After trading punches in the 2nd inning the Lockeroom broke things open by hanging a crooked number in the 3rd inning that turned a 3-3 game to an 11-3 game in favor of Mountain Home. Both sides would remain scoreless until the bottom of the 6th inning when the Sportsman bats woke up and trimmed the lead down to 11-8. Fort Smith would get the tying run up to bat but would get no closer. The Lockeroom went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 7th and then returned the favor in the bottom of the 7th. The final pitch of the game was hit out to center field where Ryder McClain made the catch to end the Lockeroom’s 28 year state title drought. Here’s how the final out sounded last night on Classic Hits 101.7.
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The Lockeroom scored 11 runs on 11 hits while the Sportsman scored 8 runs on 8 hits. Sherry, Corbett, Xander McCandlis, and Mason Sinclair each had two hits, while Sinclair paced the Lockeroom with 3 runs batted in. Fort Smith’s Jayden Campbell led the way for the Sportsman with 3 runs batted in. The winning pitcher was Mountain Home’s Hayden Hyslip, who pitched 7 innings, giving up 6 earned runs and walking 4. The losing pitcher was Tristan Hagen of Fort Smith who was gave up 7 runs, 6 of which were earned.
After the game Mountain Home’s Lincoln Sherry was named the state tournament’s most valuable player after batting .357 and driving in 3 runs in the Lockeroom’s 4 games at the state tournament.
Sherry says the summer has been a grind but a fun one.
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Lester White, who won his 1,131st game on Tuesday, says this one is as sweet as any.
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Lester says the boys will enjoy this for a few days but then they will get back to work…which will include a birthday party for White, who turns 79, on Saturday.
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White, who has seen over 40 years worth of baseball in Mountain Home, puts into perspective where this state championship team ranks.
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White says this is a great day for Mountain Home and thinks this achievement should be celebrated… and explains how he thinks it should be celebrated.
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The Lockeroom features 18 players from 7 different schools around north central Arkansas. Those players include 8 players from Mountain Home (Finley Chafin, Jackson Corp, Lincoln Sherry, Aidan Shrable, Peyton Bodenhamer, Nate Henderson, Ryder McClain and Ian Ellison), 3 from Highland (Hayden Hyslip, Owen Hyslip and Mason Sinclair) 2 from Norfork (Ethen Light and Maddex Chism), 2 from Izard County Consolidated (Xander McCandlis and Kash Arnhart), 1 from Flippin (Jordan Corbett), 1 from Salem (Owen Guffey), and 1 from Cave City (Rhett King).
The Lockeroom are led by head coach Lester White and assistants Brody and Marty Ninemire
The Lockeroom move to 38-12-1 and will await the release of the bracket for the regional tournament that will be held at Washington University in St. Louis beginning August 6th.
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