South Walton baseball's dominant playoff path has them one win from 4A state title
South Walton baseball entered the playoffs with the best strength of schedule in all of Class 4A, a sign of the dominant path it would forge.
After capturing a District 1 title, the Seahawks run-ruled West Florida 10-0, felled Bishop Kenny 5-2, staged a sixth-inning comeback in a 6-1 victory over Arnold and, on Tuesday, jumped all over Merritt Island as Charlie Willcox blasted a three-run homer and Coleman Borthwick and Braxton Varnes missed barrels in a 7-3 win to advance to the FHSAA state championship game.
Four wins down, one to go to finish off this unprecedented run.
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It's the first 4A state championship appearance for the Seahawks program, which hasn't lost since April 16 en route to 10 straight wins. During that stretch, South Walton has outscored foes 56-15, including 39-10 in the postseason. Now all that separates South Walton from the mountaintop is Cardinal Gibbons, which defeated Mulberry 3-2 on Tuesday.
The two powerhouses square off at 5:30 p.m. ET tonight at Lee Health Sports Complex - Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. The game will be broadcast on NFHS Network.
!["We're going to go win a state title for South Walton," Coach Nick Borthwick told the crowd gathered at the high school morning for the send-off celebration of the baseball team to the Final Four. [TINA HARBUCK/THE LOG]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kt1jm9KWc7geYbV2nlaUqA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0Nw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/northwest-florida-daily-news/33923473fe3b6651ac18496d0e9fe3d0)
How do the teams compare?
Cardinal Gibbons is ranked second in the state and has the top seed at 24-4-2. South Walton is ranked sixth in the state and has the No. 2 seed at 21-10. But records can be deceiving, considering the Seahawks had the toughest strength of schedule, while Cardinal Gibbons was 13th.
South Walton's lineup is as deep as any in the state, featuring five guys with 17 RBIs and the likes of Auburn commitment Borthwick (.449/.561/.617, 11 extra-base hits, 21 RBIs), Frank Wells (.391 BA/.518 OBP, 24 runs, 21 RBIs), Wilcox (three home runs, 20 RBIs), Jackson Perkins (.301 batting average, 18 RBIs) and Hudson Mandel (17 RBIs).
Cardinal Gibbons' big bats are Eddie Marshall and Jason Vasquez, the former belting five home runs with a team-best .385 batting average and the latter driving in a team-best 22 runs. Collectively, Cardinal Gibbons is batting .261 compared to South Walton's .300 average.
On the mound, South Walton has options to start its ace, Borthwick, or Willcox. Borthwick pitched just 3 1/3 innings Tuesday, so he and his 1.99 ERA, 6-2 record and team-best 91 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings will be available. Willcox has a 1.60 ERA and 6-2 mark, while Hunter Barber (0.90 ERA, 5-0), Carter Ward (2.26 ERA) and Varnes (3.63 ERA) will be available in relief.
Cardinal Gibbons' ace is Michael Kass, but his availability will be limited after going five innings in Tuesday's win. Don't be surprised to see Cardinal Gibbons empty the pen with a mix of Brenden Trujillo (1.79 ERA, 4-2), Jack Campbell (1.83 ERA, 3-0), Frankie Russo (1.67 ERA, 2-0) and Vasquez (2.62 ERA, 2-0).
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: FHSAA 4A baseball state title preview: South Walton vs. Cardinal Gibbons
