BOISE — The Boise Hawks first regular season in the Pioneer Baseball League is coming to an end, but their postseason goals live on. For the first time since 2014, the Hawks have clinched a spot in the playoffs.
“It feels great. It has been an unbelievable journey,” Gary Van Tol, Hawks Manager said.
The team clinched their playoff spot in front of Hawks fans at memorial stadium on Monday in a 7-3 victory against the Grand Junction Rockies.
THE BOISE HAWKS WIN! pic.twitter.com/puiYXrFQ6e
— Hawks (@BoiseHawks) September 6, 2021
“We did have time to celebrate, maybe a little bit too much time with the day off on Tuesday," Van Tol said. "It gave us the chance to really reflect and spend some time with each other and celebrate the moment and the accomplishment, and still gave us time to prepare for our final series.”
Their final regular series against the Ogden Raptors finishes up Friday. It's the same team the Hawks will face in the Pioneer League South Division playoff game on Saturday.
“I really believe the playoffs are kind of in our favor, especially with us winning the second half and being on a roll here and playing our best baseball," Van Tol said. "We don’t have to travel anywhere because we are already in Ogden, and it's a park we are familiar with."
It's also a team they are familiar with too. Going into this last series, the Raptors lead the Hawks five games to four.
“We’re going to face one of their top guys who we haven’t seen in over a month, but I know he is going to be ready to go and amped up," Van Tol said. "It's going to come down to a two-strike, two-out fisted base hit through the infield that’s going to score the winning run."
The Hawks will put the ball in their ace, Boise Native, Matt Dallas' hand for the start.
THE BOISE HAWKS ARE PLAYOFF BOUND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2014!
— Hawks (@BoiseHawks) September 7, 2021
Game 93 Recap: https://t.co/PYU2m3hEAj
“Man he has done it every week for us. He has put us on his back and has carried us to a lot of wins," Van Tol said. "He’s our number one guy on the mound that is why he is getting the ball, and if he goes out and does what he’s been doing all year we have a good chance to win.”
As Van Tol reflects on the season, and many ups and downs to get where they are now, he said that he's pleased that his team is peaking at the right time.
“We are more of a team now than we have ever been, and we are playing our best baseball at the right time, and everyone is very excited and fired up for this opportunity,” he said.
The game starts at 6:30 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 11. If the Hawks win they will be back in Boise on Monday to play for the Pioneer Baseball League Championship.
