GREENE COUNTY
The Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) baseball team had one of its most successful seasons in 2023.
The Titans won a program-record 18 games and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs for the first time. They swept Christian Heritage (6-5, 3-2) in April in the first round, marking their first victories in postseason history, and moved on to the Sweet 16 to face Schley County.
Unfortunately, the Wildcats ended Lake Oconee Academy’s historic year and run in the second round.
However, following the 2023 season, several members of the LOA baseball team earned All-Region honors.
Titans Garrett Payne (pitcher), Harrison Tolleson (infielder), Cameron Kelley (infielder), and Hayden Brown (outfielder) all earned Class A Divison II All-Region 8 First-Team honors in 2023.
Payne helped the team at the plate and on the mound in 2023. Tolleson was also productive for LOA during his senior campaign. The pair helped lead the Titans into the state playoffs.
During the regular reason, according to Max Preps, Payne pitched 33 complete innings with 40 strikeouts. The senior right-hander also batted .333 with more than 20 hits, 15 RBI, and 16 runs scored.
Per Max Preps, Tolleson boasted a team’s best 4-1 record on the mound with 42 strikeouts in 46.1 innings pitched. He also had team highs in home runs (four) and RBIs (28) with 36 hits for the Titans.
Kelley boasted a .400-plus batting average with 30-plus runs scored and hits. In 28 regular season contests during the year, Brown scored a total of 17 runs, tallied 24 hits, and also drove in 17 runs.
A trio of juniors, Trace Wood (pitcher), Ian Watson (infielder), and Will Moore (catcher), were named to the Second Team. Also, freshman Dylan Hiter (pitcher) earned Honorable Mention honors.
Wood was the team’s ace on the mound. Per Max Preps, he had a regular-season high of 50 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. Wood also boasted a team’s second-best 2.88 earned run average (ERA).
Watson was a reserve pitcher, but mainly played first and third base during the year. In the field, he posted a .976 field percentage, and batted .392 with 29 hits, 21 RBI and 20 runs scored in 2023.
Moore was the team’s primary catcher behind the plate. He was also a force to be reckoned with at the plate. Moore secured a .420 batting average with 37 hits and 19 RBIs during his junior season.
Hiter, a 6-foot and 170-pound pitcher, according to Max Preps, was a bullpen arm. He was used in certain situations, although he was able to strike out more than 30 batters in his freshman year for LOA.
The Titans are primed to make another postseason run in 2024 as they return many players from this year’s team. They graduated only four seniors – Payne, Tolleson, Rhett Sandhagen, and Sumner Coleman. So, look for them to also possibly top their win total of 18 and set another program record.