While the Panorama baseball team did not get to end their season on a win, a senior who helped build the program did get to end his Panther career with a victory.

Panorama’s Luke South did not get to compete in the Panthers final game as he had to report to the United States Military Academy in West Point before the sub-state championship duel with Des Moines Christian. He did have a big part in Panorama making it that far in the post-season. Head Coach Brian Barenfuss reflects on the last five years as South’s coach, “He joined us as an eighth grader. We were very young [as a team] and took a lot of bumps and bruises along the way in his first three seasons. So there wasn’t a lot of wins. But we were getting experience and we were looking to continue to improve. He helped set the stage for the growth in last year and this year.

South was among the team leaders in many statistical categories at the dish and on the mound. Offensively he hit .449, with 22 hits, four doubles, three triples, 14 RBI, and just three strikeouts in 49 at-bats. The senior was also practically untouchable on the mound. Throughout 10 2/3 innings he struck out 14 while only walking four and didn’t give up a single earned run. He was pivotal in the Panther’s District Championship victory against Woodward Granger, which would be the final game of his career. South went 2-4 with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored. He also threw three shutout innings in relief while striking out five along the way.