Absent in body, present in spirit

Meri Elen Jacobs, journalism teacher at West Orange-Stark High School an and avid Mustang supporter, was absent in body from the Mustang baseball playoff games in Beaumont at Vincent-Beck Stadium, but she was very present in spirit when the team placed her picture in the dugout.

Jacobs was on her way to California to see her son Jordan graduate from boot camp. She said, "the boys promised me a win and they did it!"

After losing Game 1 of a playoff series for the third time in-a-row Wednesday, the Mustangs came back to win back-to-back games against Huffman Hargrave (3-1,6-0) to win the series and advance to the state tournament for the first since 1991.

She added that Lorraine Shannon, WO-S public relations director, went to the game and took photos of Jacobs with her to the game. Jacobs said that the only two games she missed were Bridge City and the team lost both games to them.

"They didn't think they could win without me being present, so I told them each one was taking me with them," she said.

Coach Shae Landry said he would hang one of the photos in the dugout. Jacobs told him to make sure it faced the field so she could watch.

Jacobs added that she has cried off and on since Saturday because she couldn't be there, but the team called her on speaker phone to tell her they had won the game.

The Mustangs next head to the state semi-finals on Wednesday, June 10 at Disch-Falk Field at The University of Texas in Austin.

The state championship round is on Thursday, June 11 at Disch-Falk Field.

Photo: Meri Elen Jacobs' photo is taped in the WO-S Mustang's dugout at Lamar's Vincent-Beck Stadium during the Region 3 finals game Thursday. As promised, the photo was placed facing the field so she could "watch" her Mustangs take the win.