STATESBORO — If there was any doubt about Gatewood’s status as the GIAA’s premier baseball program over the past four seasons, the Gators’ latest state championship run put those questions to rest.
Gatewood secured its fourth consecutive title and fifth in program history last Friday at Georgia Southern University’s J.I. Clements Stadium with a decisive 7-0 victory over The Heritage School.
The Gators claimed a 3-1 victory in Game 1 on Thursday behind a dominant performance from pitcher Jayden Moss, who allowed just three hits and one walk in the complete-game win.
In Friday’s Game 2, Gatewood turned to ace Lawson Moore to close out the series against the Hawks, and the senior delivered one of the finest performances in program history. Moore tossed a complete-game no-hitter, striking out eight batters and issuing no walks while allowing no runs over seven dominant innings.
The Gators’ bats got hot in the top of the second inning of Game 2, starting with Drew Love double scoring Bo
Wooten, who entered as a courtesy runner for catcher Connor Mitchem. Brady Haley drove in Love, and Bryce Larimore followed with an RBI hit to score Haley, giving From there, Moore was in complete control, striking out four batters and allowing only one runner to reach base on an error the rest of the way.
Gatewood scored four insurance runs in the sixth inning, starting with a bases-clearing double from Ben Brannen, who drove in three runs on one hit to extend the Gators’ lead to 6-0. Brannen then stole third base and, one pitch later, raced home on a dropped third strike to give the Gators their seventh run of the game.
In the bottom of the seventh, Moore made quick work of the Hawks, recording back-to-back strikeouts before inducing a gameending flyout to right fielder Blake Brannen to seal Gatewood’s fourth consecutive state championship.
“I’m just proud,” was the first thing Gatewood head coach Brandon Moss said after Friday’s win. The former majorleague outfielder has led the Gators to six-straight state championship series, going above and beyond what anyone could have expected in 2021 when he was named to the position.
Moss noted his team is resilient and always shows up to play hard.
“We’re not overly critical, we’re not overly hard on them, but we expect a lot out of them, and it takes a little bit of time for them to reach that expectation,” Moss said. “But I think they enjoy the pressure, and they enjoy having the expectations on them, so they come out here and respond to it. And honestly, I just feel like with the way that they work and the talent that they have, that as long as they go out and they stay even keeled and play their game, that they’re unstoppable.”
Pitching clearly was the key to Gatewood’s run to a fourth straight title. In addition to Moore anchoring the staff, Moss pitched very well through his two postseason starts, striking out 11 batters while walking just six.
Meanwhile, Moore saved some of his best performances for the postseason, beginning with a complete-game shutout in Game 2 against Brentwood. He followed that with another complete-game shutout against Trinity Christian, striking out 12 batters while allowing just two hits.
Moore’s postseason may be the finest of any Gatewood baseball player ever, finishing 3-0 after three starts while allowing zero runs. Moore finished every postseason start he made, logging 21 innings while striking out 36 batters, walking just two, and allowing only five hits and no runs. He also surpassed the 100-strikeout mark for the season in the bottom of the third inning of the championship game, recording his third punchout of the contest before finishing 2026 with 105 strikeouts.
“Our pitching these whole playoffs has been outstanding,” Moss said. “I think the only run Trinity (Christian) had was a walked-in run, and obviously some unearned runs against Brentwood, but this whole series, these whole playoffs, our pitching has been outstanding.”
By helping Gatewood capture another state title this season, senior Ben Brannen cemented his place in program history as the only player to graduate with four consecutive state championships.
“I love that kid, I’m just so proud of him,” Moss said of Brannen. “I’ll never forget bringing him up to varsity in the eighth grade because our outfield was just not where it needed to be, and he immediately started making an impact.
“He’s such an impactful player, and even though he’s the only senior, we’re gonna feel his absence next year,” Moss continued. “With the speed he brings at the top of the lineup, his at-bats, his defense and everything else he does, he’s just an impactful player. He’s getting an opportunity to play at the next level, and we’re so proud of him because he’s such a great kid.”
Moss added that while he and his coaching staff demand a lot from the team collectively, they are not overly critical on an individual basis.
“We expect a lot out of them, and it takes some time to reach those expectations. But I think they enjoy the pressure and the expectations that come with it, and they’ve responded every time they’ve been challenged,” Moss said. “And honestly, with the way they work and the talent they have, I feel like as long as they stay even-keeled and play their game, they’re unstoppable.”