Oran bids for another final four trip

Three straight seasons of state final four appearances and 20 or more wins had Oran fans and players a little spoiled heading into last season.

The Eagles hit a snag in their plans for a fourth straight trip to Columbia, falling in the district finals to Advance.

Oran avenged its loss to the Hornets on Thursday with an 8-3 victory in the Class 1 District 2 championship, and now the Eagles are ready to make another run in the state playoffs.

The Eagles host Cooter at 4 p.m. today in a sectional game.

"We're always excited to get a chance to keep playing," Oran coach Mitch Wood said.

Thursday's win marked the 15th district title for Oran, which has made seven trips to the state final four (although it has not won a title yet). Oran's tradition creates a confidence, which Wood said is important for players to have success.

"If you don't think you can, you're not going to," Wood said.

Cooter has not been known for success in athletics. This is the first sectional appearance for Cooter (15-11) in baseball. Cooter defeated Holcomb 5-2 in the District 1 championship game.

The two teams met earlier this season in the Scott County Invitational at Oran, with the Eagles winning 13-2 in five innings. But it was the second game was the second of the day for both teams. Cooter fell to Advance 5-4 in eight innings in the semifinals of the tournament.

"I don't think we'll overlook them," Wood said. "We came out in practice [Monday], and we were pretty focused."

Oran enters today's game having won 12 of 13 games. The Eagles have done much of their damage with a relatively young lineup. Three of Oran's top five hitters are sophomores.

Sophomore Kody Campbell leads the squad with a .506 batting average. Fellow sophomore Caleb Seyer leads the squad with 51 runs scored, and senior Austin Dumey is tops with 43 RBIs. Seyer and Dumey are each hitting better than .400.

"We don't have an easy out in our lineup, and you can't say that about too many 1A teams," Wood said.

Crusaders head west

Also in Class 1, baseball newcomer Saxony Lutheran will make its first state playoff appearance today. The Crusaders will travel to Thayer for a 4 p.m. game.

Saxony Lutheran (13-6) routed two-time defending district champion Valley of Caledonia 13-3 in five innings on Thursday for the program's first district title in its second varsity season.

Crusaders coach John Beaudean said the team is confident despite its lack of baseball postseason experience.

"They do have that confidence, but it's not getting too confident," Beaudean said. "I'm proud of that. They know they have to go out there ready to play ball."

The Crusaders are not devoid of postseason experience, with a few players having participated this weekend in the state track and field meet. The team also has some veterans of back-to-back cross country state titles.

Saxony Lutheran has brought home four top-four team finishes in its athletics program's short history. Adding a baseball trophy is just two wins away.

"There's a little competition between the kids, between the sports," Beaudean said.

In Thayer, Saxony Lutheran is facing a squad which is attempting to make back-to-back trips to the state final four. Thayer finished third in Class 1 last season.

Thayer's recent success does not seem to have the Crusaders intimidated.

"They told me [Monday] they weren't going to drive three hours to lose," Beaudean said.

If the Crusaders are going to win their first baseball sectional game they will have to do it without Beaudean. The coach also is the Latin Club sponsor -- a commitment he said he made prior to the baseball program's existence -- and will miss the game, instead traveling to Europe with the club.

"It's not a bad thing, but I really want to stay here," Beaudean said. "But they'll do fine without me."