TEMPE — Every team has a collective motivation. Some commit to a mantra, some set goals, some even call it a rally cry. And when tragedy strikes, young men decide to come together and play for something bigger than themselves. It helps guide them through the ups and downs of a baseball season.

Flagstaff baseball is no different.

In early spring, Eagle players were completing their throwing programs, hitting the cages during the first week of practice and setting their sights on the 2025 season before they lost one of their own.

Susan Vesely, wife of assistant coach Ed Vesely, died Feb. 5 after a “short but valiant fight” against an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia, according to her obituary.

She was 71.

A loyal University of Arizona fan, Susan taught her grandkids to sing “Bear Down, Arizona” at a young age and could be seen in her designated chair at the field during local baseball games in support of her husband, Ed, and whatever team he was coaching.

It was a lot of games, too, starting in the 1980s with West Flagstaff Little League, winning three city titles before Vesely became an assistant coach at Flagstaff in the early 2000’s and finally took over the Coconino program in 2004.

After Vesely stepped down in 2014 and became an assistant coach for his grandkids, the Panther program retired his No. 31 jersey in honor of his service.

More than 30 local players Vesely coached went on to play collegiate baseball, some even professional, according to Russel Woods, owner of the flagcoco.com website, which is dedicated to the “best high school rivalry in Arizona” between Flagstaff and Coconino high schools.

Susan Vesely died Feb. 5, 2025, after a “short but valiant fight” against an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia. Ed Vesely and his wife were married for 50 years and she could be seen on the sidelines supporting whatever team he coached over the years and served as a “second mom” to many young players growing up in the Flagstaff area. (Flagstaff Athletics/Courtesy)After joining Kenny Macias’ staff at Flagstaff in August 2024, and the subsequent loss of his wife, Susan, Eagle players decided to dedicate this season to her and now, they are only two wins away from the program’s first state championship.

“With coach [Ed] Gus [Vesely] coming onto the coaching staff, we knew we gained more family members to our team. Coach Gus is a huge part of who we are, so it only made sense that we dedicated the season to Susan,” Will Carpenter said. “She would have been the backbone to this team, a second mom to all of us. So, dedicating the season to her was easy.”

Connor Iniguez said losing a part of the Eagle family “impacted” the team.

“I think it means more than baseball when tragedy like this happens and we all have to come together as a team to help each other through,” Iniguez said. “Coach Gus has been nothing but great to us since coming over from Coconino, so when we saw [how much this] affected him, we knew that we had to be by his side the whole season and support him no matter what.”

The Eagles (22-9, 8-4 4A Grand Canyon) began their playoff journey be vanquishing another rival, Prescott, 7-6, in first-round action. After a 5-4 win over Deer Valley, the No. 14-seeded club beat Saguaro 7-3 and now face them again this afternoon, Wednesday, May 14, at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

In the other semifinal, No. 1-ranked Salpointe Catholic will play No. 5 Ironwood Ridge, which already has one loss in bracket play. If the Eagles win today, they’d play in the 4A championship game on May 19.

“I think we have made this run in the playoffs because of our great team camaraderie, so we are always picking each other up and we understand each other’s play style, which makes us all work well together,” Carpenter said.

Iniguez mirrored his teammates’ sentiments.

“From the beginning of the season we’ve made it an emphasis on good team chemistry,” Iniquez said.

Macias said the coaching staff told the boys they would have to grind it out the rest of the season to get into the playoffs after a difficult 14-5 loss to Prescott in mid-April. Since then, however, Flagstaff has won eight straight and find themselves on the verge of something special.

“We mentioned to them that they have been playing well all year and losing come close games to some good teams. We also mentioned in our practice after our loss to Prescott to just go out and have fun, take it one game at a time and see how far we can go,” Macias said, adding they’ll need to execute with good pitches and have timely hitting if they are to turn this Cinderella run into a realty.

“A little bit of luck is also very helpful,” Macias said. “[The players] would like nothing more than to bring a state championship to Flagstaff High School and honor Susan’s passing.”

First pitch at Tempe Diablo Stadium against No. 10 Saguaro is set for 4 p.m.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.