Cougars Complete Another State Championship Journey

For the third time in as many seasons, the Piedmont Academy baseball team has no additional opponents to defeat.

The Diamond Cougars capped another championship season on Friday, May 27, by sweeping Flint River Academy in two competitive games played at Georgia College & State University. A third game was set for Saturday, but Piedmont didn’t need it after winning 2-1 and 3-2 on a hot, early summer day in Milledgeville.

There were many heroes for the Cougars, just as there were with the championships in 2014 and 2015. You had Brock Carter pitching another masterful outing going eight innings in game one, keeping the Flint River offense in check.

You had Mack Brady, who after giving up two runs in the first inning in game two, did not allow another Wildcat run during the next six innings.

You had catcher Jay Sheets, who battled the temperatures by working two games behind the plate at catcher.

There was Noah Quick making solid contributions at the plate and then in the field in game two.

Wyatt Galloway helped anchor the infield at second base. There were the steady, reliable efforts of Tyler Mills, Zach Wilson, Alan Powell and Nate Miller.

In game two, Hunter Whiting stepped in the designated batter role and delivered an RBI single past third base in the top of the second inning. Whiting is the perfect example of team player, performing any task the coaches ask, even if it’s cheering his teammates from the dugout.

When the final out was recorded in game two, the Cougars were once again state champions in the GISA Class AA ranks. Flint River certainly put up a solid fight, but Piedmont was just a little better this day. The Cougars finished the season, in fact, with four victories against the Wildcats.

After the Wildcats could not tie the second game during their last at bat, the celebration was on for Piedmont. They created a huge dog pile on the pitcher’s mound and then posed for pictures as family members, alumni and fans clicked away with cameras and cell phones.

Through it all there was second-year coach Daniel Funt, who has continued the on-the-field success started in 2014 when he was an assistant. Funt is quick to give credit to his players and assistant coaches for their roles in any victory, especially one of a state championship nature.

Piedmont, with numerous key players returning next spring, will be an early favorite to make some postseason noise once again in 2017. Still, let’s enjoy this moment for a little while longer. The Cougars are once again the Class of Class AA in the GISA. They were tested at times this spring, but a true champion knows how to respond.

This group of players is certainly worthy of the title “champions.”

Monticello native Chris Bridges has covered Piedmont Academy athletics for The Monticello News since 1988. He welcomes comments from readers at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.