By sweeping the Lakeview Academy Lions last Friday in Milledgeville, the John Milledge Academy (JMA) Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight round of GIAA AAA baseball state playoffs.
The Trojans took game one behind a gem of a performance from starting pitcher Grayson Paradise, who threw a complete game shutout while striking out 10 batters and allowing just four hits in the 3-0 win.
Game two again favored the Trojans, though Lakeview kept the game close through five innings. Holding a 3-1 lead after five innings, JMA broke free with four runs in the sixth and six more in the seventh enroute to a 13-3 rout. Xay Cheney and Lane Rhodes were hot at the plate, combining for five of 11 Trojan hits.
Following the two-game series, JMA head coach Tucker Bradley said the Trojans’ mindset is the key to success moving forward.
“It’s great getting two wins,” he said. “Survive and advance is the mindset now, so we’ve just gotta’ keep playing hard.”
Bradley also gave the ace of his pitching staff high praise for throwing a complete game shutout.
“He threw strikes and mixed pitches well like he has all year,” Bradley said of Paradise. “He’s our ace and sets the tone, so hoping he can continue through the postseason.”
Paradise and his teammates will have to bring their best this weekend to St. Simons Island, where they will play number-three seed Frederica Academy on Friday. Times for games one and two are yet to be announced.
The Knights have an 18-6 overall record and claimed their region title with a 7-2 record.
This will be the first meeting between the Trojans and Knights in 2026 but both are familiar with each other. Just last season it was the Knights who knocked the Trojans out of the playoffs after taking games two and three enroute to a state championship title for Frederica.
This season, JMA hopes to return the favor.
Bradley kept things short and simple when previewing the Knights.
“Great team, it will be a tough series,” he said.