2002 Hamilton Baseball Team

The seniors for Hamilton's 2002 baseball team doubled as the first freshmen in the school's baseball program. Hamilton's inaugural 1999 season saw the team take its licks and stumble to a 5-24 record. But the freshmen that formed the team's foundation came back determined. As sophomores, Hamilton baseball compiled its first winning record. In 2001, the Huskies broke the 20 win plateau for the first time in school history; since 2001, Hamilton has never won fewer than twenty games. 
Hamilton's original freshmen had a season to remember in 2002. The Huskies finished the regular season with the best record in conference and were the winners of the Fiesta Region. The team made it all the way to the state semifinal game before bowing out. Five seniors from the 2002 team went on to play baseball at the collegiate or professional level: Adam Mannon (Chandler-Gilbert, Milwaukee Brewers [A]), Joey Vincent (New Mexico State University), Julian Laurean (Chandler-Gilbert, Henderson State University), Jake Sparks (South Mountain), and Andy Munoz (South Mountain). While the 2002 team did not bring Hamilton a state title, it was blessed by coach Mike Woods as the foundation for the successful teams that followed. Woods said of the team, "It all started with the class that graduated in 2002. They were the first to go through four years of high school" (baseballamerica.com). Hamilton's originial freshmen laid the foundation for what became a top baseball program in the state of Arizona; the successes of the 2002 season were the final fruits of their labor.