Cougars Prove Once Again They Are The Best

On a hot late May afternoon in Macon, the Piedmont Academy baseball team proved once again it is the king of the mountain when it comes to GISA Class AA.

The Cougars recorded a convincing 11-1 win against a solid Terrell Academy team to sweep the best-of-three series and earn another state championship trophy.

The run the program has enjoyed the past four seasons has been a truly remarkable thing to watch and will no doubt be talked about for years, decades even, to come.

Entering the championship series there was talk that Terrell Academy was going to be the team to end Piedmont’s four-peat quest. And certainly the Eagles had some impressive credentials.

Terrell Academy was undefeated until losing its opening semifinal series game against Windsor only to rally for two victories on the road to advance to the championship round. The Eagles were hungry for a state baseball title of their own and in game one of the series last Friday at Mercer University Terrell gave Piedmont its best punch, similar to a top challenger in a championship boxing match.

In the end, however, the Cougars held on for a 4-1 victory in game one, although it was certainly competitive. By the time game two rolled around the next day, Terrell took an early lead but Piedmont was simply too strong and was not going to be denied as the Cougars ended up rolling to an impressive 11-1 win.

When Piedmont scored its final two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the game and series ended and the Cougars had its fourth state championship trophy in as many seasons.

So much credit must go around during seasons such as the ones enjoyed by the Cougars in 2017. The team drew inspiration from a number of sources including the team’s scorekeeper Carole Tyler who lead the players in a pre-game prayer before both state championship series games in Macon.

It was about being there for a teammate whose family is dealing with some personal medical issues. All in all, the team concept is alive and well, especially for Piedmont Academy baseball.

Guiding the Cougars this spring was Wes Tanner, who was directing the program as head coach for the first time after many seasons as an assistant. The moment was certainly special for the coach as well although he was quick to deflect the praise to the players and all those who support them.

For seniors Mack Brady, Michael Edwards, Wyatt Galloway and Tyler Mills, their high school careers ended with four state titles. Senior Brock Carter was a part of three championships and senior Jay Sheets helped the team earn two state rings.

It’s been quite a run for the Diamond Cougars program. The loss of the six seniors, who had actually already graduated by the time last weekend’s state championship series was played, will leave a tough void to fill.

However, talented seniors have graduated each of the past four seasons and Piedmont has managed to continue its success. The target will remain on the program’s back but often times that’s a great motivating factor as well.

Before we look ahead to next spring though let’s enjoy the success of the 2017 season a little more.

Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.