The John Milledge Academy Trojans outscored the Valwood Valiants 10-5 over a three-game GIAA Class AAA semifinals last weekend in Milledgeville. However, a pair of bookended 1-0 losses sealed their fate and ended their season.
JMA lost game one 1-0 on Friday, but in the first game of a potential Saturday doubleheader, the Trojans forced game three with a convincing 10-3 win. However, JMA used up all of its offense in game two, and they fell short again at 1-0 in game three.
Pitcher Bud Veal had a great start for the Trojans in game three, allowing only one run on six hits in 6.2 innings, but it wasn’t enough to put the Trojans over the top to make it to their third consecutive state championship series. The Trojans’ biggest struggles came at the plate, as they managed only three hits with no walks in the third game.
Later, JMA head coach Chad Starley acknowledged the semifinal loss was “disappointing” but insisted he feels “excited” about his program's future.
“I’m definitely disappointed, but you know we were a young team,” Starley pointed out. “We had to replace six starters from last year, but I was very encouraged about getting to the final four and only losing two (playoff) games; we were very close to returning to the finals again, so I’m excited about the future.”
The Trojan's senior class graduated as the only senior class with back-to-back state titles, and seniors Cooper Wilburn, Cooper Young, Veal, and Blake Bellflower all were impact players for the Trojans over the past three seasons. All four players finished with career batting averages above .300.
Wilburn, an infielder, finished his career as a Trojan with a .395 batting average and 12 home runs. Wilburn had a career ERA of 2.45 with 134 strikeouts, 49 walks, and 41 earned runs allowed.
Veal, who primarily started as a center fielder, finished with a .377 career average and 95 hits. Veal had a 3.35 career ERA as a pitcher, with 18 strikeouts and 11 earned runs allowed.
Middle infielder Bellflower finished with a .353 career average, including nine homers with 84 hits, while first basemen Young had a .338 career average with 23 hits.
“They were really good, Blake Bellflower, Bud Veal, Cooper Wilburn, who was Region Player of the Year, and Cooper Young,” Starley said of his graduating seniors. “They’re all really good seniors, so I’m gonna miss them, but I’m really excited about the future.”