After a tough non-region slate, Putnam County baseball has found its feet in Region 4-AA play. The War Eagles began the season 1-7 overall, with some tough losses to non-region opponents. They’re currently 7-10 entering this week and on a three-game winning streak.
Putnam County coach Mike Phiel feels his team is finally hitting its stride.
“We’re just starting to get comfortable with our roles,” Phiel said. “It took a while (after) losing so (many players) after the last couple of years and having such a big influx of freshmen come in having to contribute. It’s taken a while for our older guys to also grow into their leadership roles, but also for the younger guys to understand what their roles are as well.”
The War Eagles’ roster is mostly made up of freshmen, with six or seven playing at the varsity level. The younger guys have had to grow up quickly in the last couple of months.
Phiel highlighted his freshmen are adjusting well, but he knows there is still room for growth.
“Everybody has had to settle in and figure out where they’re going to play and what’s expected of them,” Phiel said. “It’s taken a while, and we’re not there yet, but we’re on the right track. We’ve got a strong freshman class and they make up almost half of our program.”
Most notably, Brannan Griffin, Wyatt Sims, Jackson Dodd, Wade Johnston and Gates Lanzarone have been the freshmen on Putnam County’s roster that have seen the most action. Each has contributed at various positions for the War Eagles so far throughout the year, as has Tanner Lukens, who stepped up in place of junior infielder BJ Ruff following his season-ending injury.
“So, we’ve really had five freshmen and a sophomore (Lukens) having to contribute a lot for the varsity squad, but also for the play for the JV as well,” Phiel added.
The War Eagles went 3-0 last week with a win over Greene County and two against Glenn Hills.
Putnam County will now face Region 4-AA’s first-place team in Thomson this week for a two-game series. These next few contests against the Bulldogs will tell how the War Eagles will rank in the standings. They entered the week with a 5-1 mark in Region 4-AA play.
Putnam County has already faced tough competition this season, and despite not faring well, Phiel believes those non-region games helped prepared his team for this challenge.
“Everything that we do as a program, and scheduling is one of them, is aiming towards getting ready for the playoffs,” Phiel said. “With the region the way it is, we felt pretty confident that we would be one of the top four teams playing for one of those spots.”
The War Eagles faced Banks County to start off the year and played a top 10 team in Class A Division II in Lake Oconee Academy. They’ve also competed against Social Circle, Lamar County, and Athens Academy during the non-region part of the 2023 schedule.
Putnam County has learned a lot about itself in the past two months and is ready to put it all together in the final few weeks of the season. The War Eagles do have some tough region games coming up, especially against Thomson, Laney, Westside and Washington County.
“You can’t really simulate playoff intensity until you’re there, but you have still got to see that level of talent throughout the season,” Phiel said. “In my opinion, it doesn’t do your team any good to not see that caliber of competition during the season. You want to see it before the playoffs. That’s not a good recipe for a playoff series, especially when facing those types of pitchers in those environments for those programs that have been there before.”