By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
GUYTON – South Effingham baseball coach Jesse Osborne says in the state tournament the best team doesn’t always win.
“You have to be the better team that day,” Osborne said.
If that’s truly the case, the four-seeded Mustangs won’t be overwhelmed by Region 3’s undefeated champion Woodward Academy (21-9, 14-0) when the Class 6A state championships begin in College Park.
The best-of-three series gets underway with a doubleheader Thursday with a single game on Friday, if necessary.
“At that point in time, everyone is playing their best,” Osborne said. “It’s like watching (the unpredictability of) March Madness.”
South (19-11) enters the postseason on a roll after sweeping rival Effingham County and Grovetown. And the Mustangs proved throughout the season on any given day they can beat anyone. They hold wins over every team in their region.
Solid pitching has been a recent key. Sophomore righthander Lance Cantaline finished his regular season with a two-hit, complete-game victory over Grovetown.
He went seven innings to beat Effingham County 3-2 in eight innings. Earlier in the season, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against region champion Evans.
“For a sophomore, he’s been phenomenal all year,” Osborne said. “He’s in the zone with three pitches (fastball, curve, changeup) and creates weak contact. You do that in high school ball and have good defense, you’re going to win ball games.”
Seniors Dru Futch and Hayden Pevey round out the strong starting rotation. Futch pitched a gem in a 1-0 win over Brunswick. Pevey fanned 10 in six shutout innings while defeating Effingham County.
The Mustangs had 6-0 and 8-0 wins in their final regular-season doubleheader with Grovetown to take a six-game winning streak into state.
In the last five games combined, South has outscored its opponents 43-2.
The regular-season home finale on April 16 displayed some of the Mustangs’ recent offensive resourcefulness as well. Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, South used two bunt singles to ignite a nine-run rally. Lawton Bowen’s bunt single was the second hit of the inning. Bowen got up again in the inning and ripped a double to the left-field wall.
“When Lawton is in the game and executing, it’s another (winning) piece for us,” Osborne said. “He stepped up and truly created that inning.”
Bowen also made a sliding catch after a long run in the seventh.
South will need players to step up against Woodward Academy, a squad that hasn’t lost a game in its region since 2019. Last season, the War Eagles won 30 games and beat Region 2’s Glynn Academy in the Sweet Sixteen of state.
Pitchers Tyler Cason, Aidan Beall and Dominic Veneri and outfielder/shortstop Landon Walker have been key performers for Woodward this season.
“We’re up for whoever,” said Osborne, before knowing his first-round opponent. “We know we have to win ball games. We have to be the better team that day”
