Bemidji's James Garrison looks back on lost junior season ahead of Section 8-4A Tournament
May 22—BEMIDJI — Even the coldest, windiest and rainiest days on diamond can't wipe the smile off of James Garrison's face. The Bemidji High School baseball team's senior first baseman was in a different position a year ago. He was sidelined for the entirety of his junior season, recovering from a torn ACL.
It wasn't how he expected his high school career to go. He envisioned breaking through at the varsity level as a junior, playing with the guys he's grown up with. Instead, he never laced up his cleats for BHS in 2025.
"I was on the bench for most of the games," Garrison said. "All I could do was watch. " The past 18 months have put a lot of things in perspective for Garrison.
Now a senior, he relishes each and every chance he gets to step on the field, just like he did on Friday. With temperatures hovering in the 50s, sideways rain and wind swirling around the Bemidji State baseball field, in a non-section and nonconference double header against Hermantown heading into a holiday weekend, nobody was happier to be there than Garrison. He went 1-for-5 on the day with a double and two runs scored.
After losing the first half of the doubleheader 2-1, Garrison and the Lumberjacks cruised to a 10-0, run-rule win over the Hawks to close out the regular season. "We lacked the energy we needed in the first game," Garrison said. "The second game, we really turned it up and got into a groove.
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