ADEL — Cook High’s baseball team faces a talented Blessed Trinity squad today in the state quarterfinals.
Cook (27-4) hosts Blessed Trinity (22-8) in the third round of the Class AA state playoffs at Bruce Long Field. Game 1 of the doubleheader begins at 4 p.m., with the second game to follow afterwards.
“We’ve got our hands full,” Cook head coach Bob Owsley said. “They’ve got a good ballclub.”
Blessed Trinity, a private school located in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell, finished second in Region 6-AA this season, behind perennial power Lovett. The Titans earned two mercy rule wins over Lamar County (10-0 and 11-1) in the first round, then defeated Jefferson 3-1 and 10-8 in the second round.
“They’re very talented, and have a lot of tradition,” Owsley said. “They’re very strong offensively. They like to run. They’ve got some power, but they will play small ball.
“On the mound, they’ve got three left-handers and two right-handers. None of them are overpowering, but they move the ball around and change speeds well. They know how to pitch. They’re a good team.”
Blessed Trinity went 3-0 against AAAAA schools this year, beating Norcross, Alpharetta and Etowah. Five of the Titans’ eight losses came against teams with at least 20 wins.
So what does Cook’s veteran coach feel his team must do to win this series?
“We’ve got to play a complete ballgame,” Owsley said. “We have to stay error-free. We have to cut our mistakes down and play well.”
Cook will pitch standout right-handers Kaleb Cowart and D.J. Johnson in the two games today, but as of Monday night, Owsley had not decided which pitcher will start game 1.
Last week, the Hornets got an unpleasant surprise against Toombs County, falling 12-0 in the first game. But they rebounded with an 11-1 win in the second game and a 9-6 victory in the third. Cook’s pitching depth paid off, as Johnson and Josh Barks turned in quality starts in the final two games of the series to help the team move on.
“Toombs County was a real good hitting team,” Owsley said. “They prepared well for Kaleb and his speed. And their pitcher took it to us. He was throwing about 88-90, and we didn’t hit the ball.
“D.J. threw well in the second game. Then Barks threw well in the third game. He stepped up big for us.”
It has been another successful year for the Hornets, one that has included two wins over Lowndes, one over Valdosta and an undefeated Region 1-AA season. Until the loss to Toombs last Wednesday, Cook had a 21-game winning streak.
Local Sports
Cook hosts Blessed Trinity today
- Local Sports
-
-
The losing continues
Tommy Hanson says the Braves aren’t in panicking after their longest losing streak in two years reached eight games.
-
Gulf South approves invitation to Lee University
The Gulf South Conference’s search for additional members bore fruit when GSC Commissioner Nate Salant announced the GSC Executive Committee’s unanimous approval of an invitation to Lee University to apply for membership.
The approval comes on the heels of a recommendation from the GSC Expansion Committee, which visited Lee University’s campus last week -
Dario Franchitti wins Indy again
Dan Wheldon couldn’t win his third Indianapolis 500. Dario Franchitti did it for him.
And if it wasn’t going to be Franchitti, then it would be Scott Dixon. Maybe even Tony Kanaan.
No matter what, one of Wheldon’s best buddies was going to Victory Lane. -
VSU teams hosting summer camps
The national champion Valdosta State softball team will host two separate summer camps this summer, as well as weekly clinics throughout the summer.
The two summer camps will be held on June 11-13 and July 9-11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The camps will cost $100 each. -
David Dean Youth Camp begins next week
The David Dean Youth Football Camp is quickly approaching.
The fourth annual camp will be held May 29-June 1 at the Athletic Fieldhouse off Mary Street. -
National champion head coach rewarded with new truck
National champion head coach rewarded with new truck Valdosta State head softball coach Thomas Macera was rewarded with a new Toyota Tacoma from Valdosta Toyota on Wednesday for his team’s 4-1 victory over the University of California-San Diego in the Division II Softball National Championship Game.
-
Valwood’s Savino, Elliott named All-State soccer
Two Valwood boys’ soccer players have been named to the GISA Class AA All-State team.
-
All-American again
Go ahead and add another award to resume of this year’s Valdosta State softball team.
Between conference player of the week awards, a national player of the week award, All-Conference and All-Region honors and four All-American awards, the national champion Blazers had plenty of individuals honored for performances throughout the season, which ultimately led to VSU’s first ever softball national title. -
Local area events coming soon
Several local area runs will take place in the coming weeks.
Monday, May 28, there will be a Memorial Day 5K, which will begin at 8 a.m. from the VECA School located on the corner of Azalea Drive and College Street. -
Tech bound
Donjahae Jones gets it done in the classroom and on the track.
One of the top students in her class, and one of the top track and field competitors in the state, Jones will be taking her talents to the Division I level after she signed a track and field scholarship with Georgia Tech on Tuesday. - More Local Sports Headlines
-
