GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Over the past two seasons for sure, the Chestatee baseball team has been one of the best in the state to NOT make the state playoffs. In fact, over the past five seasons, the War Eagles have averaged just under 15 wins a season but with just two playoff appearances, both ending in the first round.
It’s somewhat understandable when you look at being first, in a brutal Region 7-4A, which had two semifinalists and a state champion (Marist, 2021), and then moving over to equally brutal Region 8-4A the past two seasons. Region 8-4A houses two-time defending state champion North Oconee and also has East Forsyth, who made the Elite 8 in 2023, and North Hall, the 2021 Class 3A state champion, and Cherokee Bluff, who made the quarterfinals in 2021 in Class 3A as well. It’s a crowded and stacked region.
Currently, Region 8-4A, which is subdivided into North and South subregions, has four teams ranked in the top 10 in the latest coachesbox.com poll, three in Chestatee’s subregion -- Bluff at No. 2, North Hall (5th), and East Forsyth (6th). North Oconee is ranked 10th going into this week
However, coming into Monday’s critical three-game subregion showdown with East Forsyth, the War Eagles (10-6, 3-0 Region 8-4A North) are tied with North Hall with the best record overall in the region (6-2) and lead the subregion.
It’s been a solid start for new head coach Griffin Olson. The former North Hall standout and later assistant coach at Cherokee Bluff said he had the foundation already in place when he arrived on campus to make his transition as a first-time head coach as smooth as possible.
“Chestatee has always been competitive and has had some outstanding players that have set the standard for years to come,” Olson said. “The transition has been exciting and very rewarding, especially when you come into a program that has numerous upperclassmen leaders who work hard day in and day out.
“These players have embraced the grind of a baseball season and offseason, and we have had a really good time establishing a bond between our coaches and players. Our priority all year has been to believe in ourselves, trust the preparation, and compete at a high level.”
They have been doing that so far. They opened the season 0-3 but have gone 10-3 since, including a win over Walnut Grove and a sweep of East Hall last week to open subregion play.
The nucleus was in place. Olson said it just needed some tweaking.
“This year has really tested our team with some adversity. We have a bunch of players who have been asked to play new positions, and pitch in new roles from years prior,” Olson said. “Dylan Thompson, Jake Hitchcock, and Brock Moody have all been asked to pitch as a starter, reliever, and to close games. They all compete at a high level each time they step on the field, no matter the situation.
Colton Wilbanks, Eli Chaffin, Wesley Gossett, and Thomas Martens have also been leaders for us this year through various roles. We have a very good group of kids and players and it seems when adversity hits, a new person steps into a role of leadership.”
But Olson, who knows the grind of Region 8-4A well, also understands they are about to run the gauntlet and will have to have more than moderate success to make it into the region play-in series at the end of the season.
Region 8-4A will have the top teams from each subregion play for the region title and the Nos. 1 and 2 spots. The second and third place teams from each subregion will play crossover series’ to determine the Nos. 3 and 4 playoff positions.
Chestatee went 3-2 in its crossover games but still have remaining series’ against Cherokee Bluff and North Hall looming in subregion play after the East Forsyth series.
In 2023, the War Eagles went 3-2 in the crossover portion and also started subregion play with a sweep of East Hall. But they went 1-7 vs. East Forsyth, North Hall, and Cherokee Bluff down the stretch to miss out on a shot at the playoffs by just one game.
They probably will have to win one of those series to ensure a spot in the top three in the subregion. It will be a supreme challenge with the Broncos (11-5, 1-2 Region 8-4A North) this week.
East Forsyth held a North Hall team averaging 7.6 runs/game to just 6 total runs in a three-game series last week. However, the Broncos lost the series 2-1 to the Trojans after scoring just six runs of their own. They are averaging just 5.6 rpg on the season. Chestatee is averaging 8.1 rpg so far in 2024.
“East Forsyth is a top-ranked team in the state for a reason. Coach (Kyle) Counts does a great job with his team and they are prepared to beat anyone on any given night,” Olson said. “You have to handle the little things, make routine plays, attack the zone with multiple pitches, and execute in tough situations.
“The keys for our team in a series like this is to play to our strengths and compete for 21 outs. The rest will fall into place.”
