The Putnam County baseball team has been on a tear recently, winning three straight entering this week.
The War Eagles began the season with a 2-2 record before losing six games in a row. However, they quickly turned things around last week by starting region play on a strong note by sweeping Towers.
The War Eagles were consistent, playing sound offense and defense to handily defeat the Titans 22-1, 15-0, and 16-1 for a perfect 3-0 record so far in region competition.
Putnam County head coach Stephen Phillips has seen his team take steps in the right direction.
“Pitching has improved quite a bit with throwing strikes, working ahead in the count,” Phillips said. “I also feel like we’ve swung the bat a little bit better this past week than we have all year.”
The War Eagles struggled on the mound earlier in the season, unable to consistently work the plate.
However, pitchers including Jamarion Robertson, Wade Johnston, and Ethan Whatley have proven to be reliable arms. They each played a significant role in Putnam County sweeping Towers.
The War Eagle pitchers limited walks, struck out more hitters, and let the defense make plays behind them.
Putnam County’s bats also woke up against Towers. The War Eagles had trouble getting runners on base and driving them in earlier in the season, but they had no problems racking up the runs last week.
Whatley, Tanner Lukens, Jackson Dodd, Gates Lanzarone, and Branan Griffin led the charge on offense. Putnam County’s hitters consistently performed well in situations with runners in scoring position.
The three wins have Phillips excited for the rest of the season, but he knows there’s still work to be done.
Phillips said he hopes the gauntlet of his team’s non-region schedule prepared his players for a challenging region slate. They continued league play this week with a series against Social Circle.
Several polls have the Redskins of Social Circle ranked in the top 10 of Class A Division I.
“My plan was for us to use those games to learn,” Phillips said of his team’s non-region schedule. “I wasn't as concerned with the outcomes as I was about the progression of their learning and taking steps forward.”
Putnam County will also play Jasper County and Lamar County, two more solid region teams. The War Eagles want to compete for a region title, and their quest began this week against Social Circle.
While Phillips wants to see his team win a region crown, more importantly, he wants it to “just compete.”
“My biggest thing is that we just compete. I think if we compete and we try to play sound baseball, where we're not beating ourselves, and we’re making the other team beat us, I think anything can happen,” Phillips said. “I think our guys are solid baseball players. They’ve just got to learn how to compete at a high level.
"I don’t know if they’re going to make a run in this region because it’s full of some quality baseball teams, but it starts with believing that they can compete. If they believe that and execute the routine plays, we can compete,” he added. “That's all I’m looking for this year.”