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An unforgettable season for the Savannah Christian baseball team ended with a combination of disappointment and optimism last year when the Raiders were swept by cross-town rival Calvary Day in the GHSA Private School state championship series.
The Raiders were frustrated with their performance in the series, but knew that with 10 players returning from the talented squad they would have a chance to make another playoff run in the upcoming season.
That time is now and the Raiders are playing a high quality brand of baseball as the pressure of postseason play is upon them.
Savannah Christian was at the top of its game on Friday, April 24th, as the Raiders swept their playoff opener over visiting Mt. Bethel and rolled to a 10-0 win in the first game, followed by a 14-9 victory in the night cap. The Raiders improved to 22-10 and will host Mt. Paran in a second round matchup set for Thursday, April 30, with a Game 3 set for the next day, if needed.
Eight of the Raider seniors were in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the playoff win over Mt. Bethel for a squad with ample experience.
Shortstop Chase Boyer continued his stellar senior campaign with a homer in the first game as he went 3-for-5 with 7 RBIs in the twin bill. He is hitting .471 with an OPS of 1.478 with 10 doubles, 10 homers and 52 RBIs. Last season, he had three home runs.
"I think I've improved with the power this year because I spent a lot of time in the weight room in the offseason," said Boyer, who has signed to play at South Georgia State, a junior college program in Douglas. "I have a lot of confidence this year. I'm trying to play like a kid and not let one play affect me. I think the key to our success is having so many seniors, we've got that bond and want to play for each other."
Senior catcher Cardin Patrick, who has signed to play at Vorhees University, an NAIA program in South Carolina, is a veteran leader on and off the field for the Raiders.
"I think the biggest difference from last year is the senior class we have the leadership that comes with it," said Patrick, who is hitting .420 with 33 RBIs. "We've got guys like Chase (Boyer) and Athen (Hudspeth) who have stepped up as leaders and we're really playing together. I think our biggest strength is our offense. We've got guys who battle up there in every at bat and work deep counts. Our goal is to win it all this year."
The Raider offense is stacked with big-time contributors. Senior center fielder Mason Omohundro leads the team with 52 runs, 52 hits and 26 stolen bases, while hitting at a .481 clip. Left fielder Weston Hughes, who signed to play football at Furman University last week, is hitting .396 with 40 runs, 24 stolen bases and 32 RBIs. Hudspeth is hitting .297 with 29 RBIs and 36 runs.
The pitching has been solid behind Griffin Graham, the senior sidewinder who has a 7-1 record with a 3.00 ERA. Senior Brodu Schuman, who signed to play at Georgia Southern-East Georgia last week, is 6-2 with a 3.15 ERA, while hitting .386 with 28 RBIs. Brian Hong and Ethan Jones have also been key contributors on the mound.
The Raiders won the Region 3A Division I title and entered the state playoffs at No. 5 in the Private School bracket according to the GHSA postseason power rankings. Calvary Day, on the other side of the bracket, is No. 6.
"I think last year was unexpected with how well we played, but this year with 10 guys coming back as seniors after that run we had ― we're right where I thought we'd be," said coach Matt Oglesby, in his seventh year leading the program. "We've been swinging the bat well ― averaging nine or 10 runs a game. But what has impressed me most was the resiliency we showed early in the season coming back from some big deficits to win games. Nothing seems to faze our guys."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at [email protected]. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Christian baseball team hopes to ride seniors to state championship
Continue reading...
The Raiders were frustrated with their performance in the series, but knew that with 10 players returning from the talented squad they would have a chance to make another playoff run in the upcoming season.
That time is now and the Raiders are playing a high quality brand of baseball as the pressure of postseason play is upon them.
Savannah Christian was at the top of its game on Friday, April 24th, as the Raiders swept their playoff opener over visiting Mt. Bethel and rolled to a 10-0 win in the first game, followed by a 14-9 victory in the night cap. The Raiders improved to 22-10 and will host Mt. Paran in a second round matchup set for Thursday, April 30, with a Game 3 set for the next day, if needed.
Eight of the Raider seniors were in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the playoff win over Mt. Bethel for a squad with ample experience.
Shortstop Chase Boyer continued his stellar senior campaign with a homer in the first game as he went 3-for-5 with 7 RBIs in the twin bill. He is hitting .471 with an OPS of 1.478 with 10 doubles, 10 homers and 52 RBIs. Last season, he had three home runs.
"I think I've improved with the power this year because I spent a lot of time in the weight room in the offseason," said Boyer, who has signed to play at South Georgia State, a junior college program in Douglas. "I have a lot of confidence this year. I'm trying to play like a kid and not let one play affect me. I think the key to our success is having so many seniors, we've got that bond and want to play for each other."
Senior catcher Cardin Patrick, who has signed to play at Vorhees University, an NAIA program in South Carolina, is a veteran leader on and off the field for the Raiders.
"I think the biggest difference from last year is the senior class we have the leadership that comes with it," said Patrick, who is hitting .420 with 33 RBIs. "We've got guys like Chase (Boyer) and Athen (Hudspeth) who have stepped up as leaders and we're really playing together. I think our biggest strength is our offense. We've got guys who battle up there in every at bat and work deep counts. Our goal is to win it all this year."
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The Raider offense is stacked with big-time contributors. Senior center fielder Mason Omohundro leads the team with 52 runs, 52 hits and 26 stolen bases, while hitting at a .481 clip. Left fielder Weston Hughes, who signed to play football at Furman University last week, is hitting .396 with 40 runs, 24 stolen bases and 32 RBIs. Hudspeth is hitting .297 with 29 RBIs and 36 runs.
The pitching has been solid behind Griffin Graham, the senior sidewinder who has a 7-1 record with a 3.00 ERA. Senior Brodu Schuman, who signed to play at Georgia Southern-East Georgia last week, is 6-2 with a 3.15 ERA, while hitting .386 with 28 RBIs. Brian Hong and Ethan Jones have also been key contributors on the mound.
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The Raiders won the Region 3A Division I title and entered the state playoffs at No. 5 in the Private School bracket according to the GHSA postseason power rankings. Calvary Day, on the other side of the bracket, is No. 6.
"I think last year was unexpected with how well we played, but this year with 10 guys coming back as seniors after that run we had ― we're right where I thought we'd be," said coach Matt Oglesby, in his seventh year leading the program. "We've been swinging the bat well ― averaging nine or 10 runs a game. But what has impressed me most was the resiliency we showed early in the season coming back from some big deficits to win games. Nothing seems to faze our guys."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at [email protected]. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Christian baseball team hopes to ride seniors to state championship
Continue reading...
