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War Eagles are district 4A runner up

Michael Hurley scores against Baker County, cheered on by Gavin Estep and Sam Bruce. PHOTO COURTESY JESSICA PREVATT OF THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
 

By By KEITH ANDERSON WHS Baseball Coach

The War Eagles moved into the district tournament last week as the No. 2 seed and hosted the Suwannee Bulldogs.
 Starting pitcher Gavin Estep threw well in the semi-final win throwing 5 and a third innings scattering 5 hits giving up 1 earned run and striking out seven.
Hayden Wright came in to pitch the last 4 outs and closed out the game with a solid effort striking out 1. The War Eagles won 7-3.
Suwannee jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, but the War Eagles answered back quickly in the third inning as catcher Brady Crum hit a solo blast over the left field fence to tie the game. This got the offense going and the War Eagles never looked back pounding out 8 hits. Colby Zinser led with a 3-4 day with 2 RBIs. Brady Crum was 2-4 with 2 RBIs. Parker Lawhon, Owen Klees, and Reid Joyner all had a hit a piece in the semi final win.
The win on Tuesday put the War Eagles into the championship game with the No. 2 ranked 4A region 1 Baker County Wildcats.
Jesse Nazworth got the start on the hill and threw well getting the War Eagles into the 5th inning with a 4-0 lead giving up no earned runs in the start.
Hayden Wright and Owen Klees came on in relief, but with some defensive miscues, Wakulla found themselves down 6-4 in the 7th inning. The War Eagles fought back tying the game on a Michael Hurley 2 run single to push the game into the bottom of the seventh. The War Eagles, however could not keep Baker off the bases and they hit a walkoff double to end the game and leave the War Eagles as the district runner up.
The War Eagles pounded out 10 hits in the effort. Colby Zinser, Michael Hurley, Josiah Pierini, and Parker Lawhon led with 2 hits each.  Sam Bruce and Reid Joyner also chipped in with a hit a piece.
The War Eagles would finish the regular season and district tournament with a 16-12 record (No. 18 in the state in 4A) and will move into the FHSAA regional playoffs with an at-large bid.

Ben Clenney of WCS signs scholarship


Wakulla Christian Baseball senior Ben Clenney, secured his place on the college mound on Tuesday, May 2, signing a baseball scholarship with Gulf Coast State College.
Ben is the 18-year-old son of Byron and Val Clenney and has a brother, Dean, who also played baseball with Wakulla Christian. Ben has been playing baseball his whole life and has been a part of the Wakulla Christian baseball team since the program began when he was just a 5th grader. Ben has enjoyed being a part of winning the 2017 Florida Independent Christian Athletic Association (FICAA) State Championship, traveling to the FHSAA Final Four twice in 2018 and 2019 and being the FHSAA 2A State Runner Up in 2018. Ben has also enjoyed playing travel ball for many years.
The senior pitcher’s 62 strikeouts in only 28 innings pitched while graduating with a 3.34 GPA illustrates a player that is focused on getting the job done on and off the field. Ben is dual enrolled, a member of the National Honor Society and will graduate Cum Laude later this month.
Ben’s favorite memory of high school baseball was when he turned a double play from right field as a 5th grader on the Varsity baseball team. Ben’s future plans are to attend Gulf Coast in pursuit of his AA degree while playing baseball and then see where God takes him.
Best of luck, Ben!

Wakulla Christian wins district 1A title

Special to The Sun

The Wakulla Christian Saints varsity baseball team defeated the Liberty County Bulldogs last Thursday night by a score of 5-4 to claim the Class 1A District 5 Championship. How they did it is an amazing story!
Wakulla Christian moved to Class 1A this year. The move requires the Saints to compete against public high schools in the Panhandle, almost all of which have graduating classes multiple times larger than Wakulla Christian.
Injuries made the move even more challenging. Several pitchers missed starts and had innings limited during the season due to injuries. Junior starter Caleb Jackson was lost after 16 games to shoulder surgery. He still ranks among the team batting leaders and is second on the team in RBIs despite being out the last 8 games. Colby Conley, the Saints starting centerfielder and one of the best defensive outfielders in the Big Bend, was hampered all season by hamstring and ankle injuries. He was also unavailable for the district title game due to an auto accident last Wednesday night. But as they have all season, the Saints marched on and found ways to overcome adversity. Fourteen different players saw action in a district title game they weren’t expected to win.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first by scoring twice in the bottom of the 2nd inning. After Trenton Hires walked, Alden Harper reached on an error. Harper advanced to 2nd base on the same error and Hires advanced to 3rd base. Rylan Roddenberry was intentionally walked and Nathan Carpenter followed with a 2 RBI single to left. The Saints worked their way out of the jam with a 6-4-3 double play.
Liberty County added another run in the 3rd inning when Gavin Jerkins led off with a double to left, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored when Thomas Fletcher reached on an error.
The Bulldogs threatened again in the bottom of the 4th inning after Roddenberry reached base on an error with one out. Wakulla Christian got out of the inning on a spectacular 5-3-6 double play, getting Roddenberry at the tail end of the play as he tried to reach 3rd on the throw to 1st base.
Neither team scored again until the Saints scored 5 runs in the top of the 7th inning. Cam Brantley, pinch hitting for Jackson Lawhon who was injured on a line drive earlier in the game, drew a lead off walk. Sawyer Lawhon entered the game as a pinch runner and Corey Clark followed with a line drive single to right field moving Lawhon to 3rd base. Clark advanced to 2nd base on a ground out with Lawhon holding at 3rd base. With two outs and Junior shortstop Jace Estes at the plate, Lawhon scored on a passed ball to put Wakulla Christian on the scoreboard, and Clark advanced to 3rd base. Estes then drilled a hard single back up the middle scoring Clark.
After Estes stole 2nd base and Langston Stephens drew a walk, Garrett McKenzie hit a hard ground ball, ruled an error, into left field. Estes scored on the play, with Stephens advancing to 3rd and McKenzie hustling into 2nd base behind the throw to 3rd base. Ben Clenney then followed with a 2 RBI opposite field single that scored Stephens and McKenzie, and put the Saints up 5-3.
Liberty scored one more run in the bottom of the 7th inning when Roddenberry reached on a walk, advanced to 2nd on a passed ball, moved to 3rd on a ground out, and scored on a single to left by Jenkins. Jacob Kent then singled to left to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2 outs before Estes struck out the final batter to pick up a save and seal the win for Wakulla Christian.
Starting pitcher, 14-year-old 8th grader Mack Johnson, pitched 6 innings and looked like a seasoned veteran to get the win for the Saints. Coach Buddy Montague and his staff pulled out all the stops and made the right moves at the right times to keep Wakulla Christian in position to claw their way back in it.
Following the game, Montague praised his players and coaches for their grit, perseverance, and belief in one another. “That has been the theme for this team all season long,” said Montague. “Encourage one another, build one another up, pray for one another, and love one another. Those are our building blocks for success.”
The district title capped a big week for the Saints. It was announced after the game that Estes, who still has another year at Wakulla Christian, has accepted an offer to play at FSU. Earlier in the week, Clenney signed with Gulf Coast State College before pitching a gem against Blountstown to put Wakulla Christian in the title game.
The Saints will next face No. 1 ranked Lafayette in regional playoff competition on Wednesday, May 10th at 7 p.m. in Mayo.

Wakulla Christian junior Jace Estes commits to FSU



By LINDA ANN McDONALD Correspondent

Jace Estes, a junior in high school has committed to the Florida State Baseball Program. Estes will attend Florida State after his senior year is completed at Wakulla Christian School.
With a batting average of .449, On Base Percentage of .598, 31 Hits, 18 Runs Batted In, 34 Runs, .652 Slugging Percentage, combined with a 4.3 Academic GPA, Jace Estes earned the title of ‘Team Leader’ through his hard work.  
Additional stats include 8 doubles, 3 triples and 20 stolen bases. Estes said, “I was prepared when FSU baseball recruiter Coach Link Jarrett traveled to Wakulla Christian School to watch me play.”
“I knew FSU was where I wanted to play after talking with the coaches for a couple months.”, Estes said. “FSU contacted me and asked me to be on their team.”
If the Estes name sounds familiar, it is because Jace Estes was born into a baseball playing family. Jace’s older brother Jay attended Auburn University and joined the Chicago White Sox while brother Jacob played ball for the University of West Florida Argos; Jacob graduated UWF this semester. Keefer Beaty, a cousin, made Wakulla headlines when he signed with Thomas University in 2016 on a baseball scholarship.
 “My leadership on and off the field is what brought me to the next level,” he explained. “My future plans are to volunteer for the Florida Christian Athletes Wakulla (FCA) and mentor other athletes.”  
“I will stay around and hit after practice to show others my commitment and dedication.  My father influenced me to be the best I could be and he always put in the extra work to make me better.”
Asked who played a major role in his achievements, he said: “My grandparents JC and Kathryn Beaty drove me to and from games, they never missed a game.”
“I want to thank my Coach B. Montague for 5 years coaching and keeping me on the right track in my career,” said Estes.
His parents, James and Shealyn Estes, said: “We are very proud of Jace. He has been dedicated to baseball since he was young, and we are proud to watch him make his dream come true. We want nothing but the best for him and it is rewarding to see all the hard work and dedication Jace has put into this for so many years.”