Diamond Canes Fall in Playoffs

By ZACH HOUSTON

The Monticello Hurricane baseball program hosted the Haralson County Rebels last Friday for the first round of the GHSA Class A, Division 1 state playoffs. The Region 6 Rebels came into the game with a 14-16 record, and seeded 21st overall, thanks to a high opponent’s win percentage and opponent’s opponents win percentage, two of the factors that contribute to the post-season ranking formula.

The Hurricanes were seeded 12th due to earning the second seed in Region 4 after taking two of three from Lamar County the week prior. There were six public school region champions, whom garnered the top six seeds, and there were also six public school region runner-ups, which obtained seeds 7-12, all sorted based on power ranking. The rest of the schools that make the playoffs are seeded based on power rankings from 12-32. The Hurricanes had never faced the team from Haralson County, so there was a good bit of unfamiliarity with the team from the Alabama line.

In game one, the Rebels got out to a quick 2-0 advantage in the top half of the first inning. It seemed as though the home plate umpire had a strike zone that was similar to the circumference to the ball itself, which forced Hurricane pitcher Brelynd Beasley to have to live more over the plate. Rebel batters took advantage, procuring eight hits in the first three innings to grow the margin up to 5-0.

The Hurricanes scored their only run of the game in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Ethan McMichael led off with a walk, followed by a single by catcher Chandler Aguirre. A sacrifice bunt by Grady Jordan moved the runners up 90 feet, and then Tyler Ripley hit a deep fly ball to center field, scoring McMichael. The Rebels added two more in the top of the fifth to make the score 7-1, and piled on five more runs in the seventh to put the game away. The final score of game one was 12-1 Haralson.

The outcome of the first game put the Hurricanes backs against the proverbial wall, win or be eliminated, for game two of the series. Sophomore Jaxson Cohran took the bump for the Canes, and except for single runs in the first and second innings, shut down the Rebel bats, only allowing five hits in his six innings of work.

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, Rebels pitcher David Pruitt was just as effective, holding the Canes to only two hits in his seven innings of work. The home team did have their chances, but couldn’t capitalize on opportunities, as they had at least one runner reach base in all but two innings. The Rebels made the 2-0 lead hold up for the duration of the game to take the win, and take the series to advance to the Sweet 16 of the GHSA playoffs.

The Hurricanes close out their season on a sour note, but finished with a 17-14 record overall, and only losing two senior players on top of that makes for a bright future for a team that started, on average, six sophomores in the lineup throughout the year. They have shown improvement each season over the past three years, from a 5-26 record in 2023, to 11-21 with a Sweet 16 appearance last year, to this season’s 17-14, the future of Hurricane baseball is bright and on the way up.

Another bright spot for the Hurricanes at the close of the season was the recently chosen All-Region team for 4-A. Senior catcher Chandler Aguirre was one of four first team All-Region selections as chosen by the coaches. Aguirre finished his senior campaign with a .446 batting average (37 hits in 83 AB’s) along with three doubles and 28 RBI. In 106 plate appearances on the season, Chandler was only set down on strikes three total times!

Junior Ethan McMichael was also selected to the All-Region first team as a first baseman. The power hitting McMichael finished the season with a .416 BA (32/77), with 12 doubles, a triple, and six home runs. He finished with an astounding 46 RBI, which is almost 20 more than the next highest total in the past twelve seasons.

Sophomores Brelynd Beasley and Gavin Bennett were the final two first team selections. Beasley finished the season hitting .383 (23/60) with five doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He also batted in 18 runs on the season, and was the Hurricanes most consistent producer on the mound, finishing with a 4-4 won/loss record, starting nine games for a total of 43 innings pitched and striking out 56 batters. Beasley finished with a 2.93 earned run average. Bennett, who started in right field all year, was a spark plug in the Hurricane lineup out of the nine spot, finished with a .284 average (19/67), with a double, triple, and 12 RBI. He also scored 26 runs, laid down three sac bunts, and worked opposing pitchers for 14 walks.

The Hurricanes also had a player named to the All-Region second team in pitcher Jaxson Cohran. He came on strong for the Hurricanes, finishing second on the team with 37.2 innings pitched, a 1-2 record, along with two saves. He struck out 42 batters in his 37 innings of work, and finished the season with a 3.72 ERA.

Head Coach Brady McMichael would like to thank all of those who have supported the Hurricanes on their journey through this season, “from the fans to the parents, faculty, and administration, it takes a team to make a successful season, and even though we did not obtain the ultimate goal, the season was still a success by many measures, and the future of baseball in Monticello is bright!”