Skip to content
The video is still floating around out there on the world wide web – YouTube, Twitter, etc. – but Luke Bedwell doesn’t have to log on and click the play button to relive the moment.
He was Abingdon High School’s catcher on June 11, 2022, when the Falcons suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Liberty Christian Academy in the finals of the VHSL Class 3 state baseball tournament.
Lane Duff of LCA lashed a two-strike, two-out, two-run, game-winning hit to right field in the bottom of the seventh inning and Will Palmer slid in for the clinching run just a split-second ahead of a swipe tag by Bedwell, who had taken the throw from right field.
The scene remains just as fresh in Bedwell’s mind as if it happened last week instead of last year.
“I replay that memory too much sometimes,” Bedwell said. “Inches away from a state title is something that no person can forget. I remember seeing the ump call the runner safe and I just went to a knee and watched LCA become triumphant with the win. I then looked out at my teammates that went to war with me that season.
“I wouldn’t have gone through that pain with any other men in the world besides those who were on the field that day. But after we had left the game, I felt the next year had something special for this team. I knew that we were not going to let the loss break us as a team. We were going to still perform at the high level everyone expects from us.”
Indeed Abingdon (20-5) has returned to the state tournament and the Falcons get a rematch with LCA (22-0) today at 6 p.m. on the campus of Liberty University in a highly-anticipated Class 3 quarterfinal clash.
AHS lost two starters from last year’s state runner-up squad to graduation and reigning VHSL Class 3 state player of the year Ethan Gibson suffered a season-ending injury before the 2023 campaign even began.
Still, Abingdon is in the state tourney for the fifth straight season with a lineup featuring a mix of promising newcomers and varsity veterans.
Bedwell is among those with big-game experience.
“This season has been something to appreciate,” Bedwell said. “Our team has gone through hills and valleys this year, but one thing that has not changed is our mentality. Our mental approach has been the same all year; play one pitch at a time. We have learned as a team to forget mistakes and focus on that next pitch or at-bat.”
Bedwell is hitting .271 with 13 RBIs and has struck out just three times all season. He supplied three hits in a win over Magna Vista in the first round of the Region 3D tournament.
“He’s the epitome of a team player,” said Abingdon coach Mark Francisco. “He does an excellent job encouraging our pitching staff and helps them stay focused with his calm demeanor.”
Bedwell began his prep career as a second baseman but shifted to catcher and became the starter last season.
“He basically learned the position last winter,” Francisco said. “He quickly exceeded our expectations and has continued to get better each game he’s played.”
Bedwell had three hits in that gut-wrenching loss to LCA last season and will get another crack at the Bulldogs today.
“I describe myself as being a role player to a team that is determined to win,” Bedwell said. “We have obtained great success in this program and I believe in the culture that we have created for the program is a real reason that we are where we are today.”
