Lake Oconee Academy’s baseball team had its best season in program history last year by winning 18 games and advancing to the second round of the postseason for the first time under new head coach Mark Miller.
The Titans enter their 2024 campaign looking to build off last season’s success, again under Miller’s direction.
The second-year coach believes his team can take a huge step forward this season as the expectations are high.
“We continue to feel like we’re going to be strong. Our goal every year is to win the region championship,” Miller said. “It can set us up at the top seed and hopefully makes it a little bit easier path for us through the playoffs.”
Last season, LOA entered the Class A Division II state playoffs as the No. 3 seed from Region 8. The Titans finished behind top-seeded Washington-Wilkes and Towns County as the No. 2 seed in the regular season.
LOA faced the No. 2 seed, Christian Heritage, which they stole a series from in the first round. However, the Titans’ historic season ended against Schley County, which also knocked them out of the playoffs in 2021.
Miller and his staff expect their players to be capable of winning the program’s first region title this year.
“We expect to contend for the region championship this year,” he said. “We know that Washington-Wilkes are the defending champs. We need to knock them off and also the other teams. It will be a challenge for us.”
Despite losing contributors such as Garrett Payne and Harrison Tolleson from a year ago, LOA returns a lot of talent. The Titans return depth on the mound and the field, while at the plate, they bring back a plethora of sluggers.
Senior Trace Wood will be the team’s ace this season on the mound. Wood will lead the charge, followed by sophomore Dylan Hiter. Hiter gained valuable varsity experience from the bump last year as a freshman reliever.
Wood pitched 46.2 innings and had an ERA of 3.22. He struck out 21 batters with a WHIP of 1.77 as a junior.
Junior Ike O’Neal, a transfer from Morgan County, will be another arm LOA will rely on. The left-hander will also start. Senior Maddox Robinson and freshman Jon Harris Funderburke will help out the Titans in relief.
“We have some depth this year on the mound,” Miller said. “Trace will be our go-to guy, followed by Dylan, who’s gotten to be a better pitcher (over time). He also plays centerfield but has a lot of promise as a pitcher.”
According to Miller, Lake Oconee Academy has a few other guys who can throw strikes and help the team compete.
“To be a successful high school baseball team, you’ve got to have plenty of pitching,” Miller added. “What that amounts to is having guys that can just throw strikes. That can give (your team) a chance to win.”
At the plate, LOA returns leadoff hitter Cameron Kelley. Kelley’s batting average was an impressive .418, with 33 hits, 33 runs, and 11 RBI. The Titans also return bats such as Will Moore, Ian Watson, and Hayden Brown.
LOA’s bats won’t consistently hit the ball over the fence but will be solid in situational hitting moments with runners on base. The Titans look to also be aggressive on the basepath, advancing runners as much as possible.
“We’ve got an offense that has the potential to score a lot of runs,” Miller said. “We just need to be consistent. We’ve taken a big step in the offseason from an offensive standpoint. We’ve got some solid bats.”
LOA started its season with wins over ACE (11-4), Putnam County (6-3), and Oglethorpe County (4-0). For the rest of the week, the Titans will face ACE (Feb. 22) on the road and then host Jasper County (Feb. 23).