By Christian Malone
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.
