2008.
The last time Grand Island Senior High's baseball team won a state tournament.
That team? Led by the long ball.
It's a style unfitting of the current Islanders club.
"This year's team we're asking them to transition away, a little bit, from 2008. We played a much more American League Style. Where we went for big innings then add on late," said Coach Rick Kissick.
From 2003 until 2009 GISH won 108 games. In the last two seasons, only 20.
Now, Kissick is switching the philosophy to keep piling on the wins.
"In past years we used to just crush to the ball. We had big guys, but now we have little guys," said Senior Jordan Ramirez. "So we'll do a better job of that."
"Bunting is something we traditionally just have not done and to some degree it's something we have to do to be successful," Kissick said.
"Move guys over in scoring position, try to knock them in. It's not something we've done in the past," Ramirez.
The change does not include any amnesia of what was once a championship formula.
"I looked up to some of those guys and I still look up to them as role models. You want to carry on that tradition. I feel we can make it deep into the postseason as long as we work together as a team," said Senior Tanner Meyer.
Kissick used to enjoy those 15-11 slugfests.
"Regardless of philosophy, we could have played small ball with them and won, but it wouldn't have been as fun."
But he's learning to enjoy the close ones.
