Sharpening for the Postseason: Grace Christian Learns from Tough Losses
Published 1:27 pm Friday, April 25, 2025
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Despite a hard-fought effort, the Grace Christian Academy Cougars (11-6, 8-0) fell to the Southwest Georgia Academy Warriors in a 3-0 loss. Head coach Nathan Nunez reflected on the game and praised starting pitcher Oathen Atkinson’s performance.
“I think he did great, he used a balance of his fastball, curveball, and changeup,” Nunez said. Atkinson pitched a complete game, keeping the Warriors off balance and maintaining command through his ability to control the strike zone.
Atkinson turned in a standout effort, throwing 77 pitches—57 of them strikes—over seven innings, conceding just one earned run while recording four strikeouts against a Warriors squad averaging nine runs per contest. He has limited his walks to no more than two in each of his last eight outings.
Third baseman Noah Smith provided an offensive bright spot, going two-for-three with a double. However, defensive miscues proved costly. “We just didn’t make the plays when we had an error in the outfield, which caused two runs,” Nunez explained. “At the end of the day, I feel like the game should have been at least 1-0 instead of 3-0.”
The Cougars also struggled offensively, unable to generate consistent contact against the Warriors’ pitching. “They swung the bat more and put the ball in play more,” Nunez noted. “We just couldn’t time their pitcher. We have to get into practice and focus on hitting faster pitching, especially for the playoffs.”
SGA’s starting pitcher, Sawyer Franklin, delivered a dominant performance, striking out 12 Cougar batters, allowing only three hits, and facing 24 batters while keeping his pitch count below 85.
With postseason play approaching, Grace Christian is using non-region matchups to sharpen its approach. “Playing these harder teams helps us improve by seeing better pitching and better talent,” Nunez emphasized. “We can beat them—it’s just that we’ve been playing a weaker schedule and haven’t adjusted to faster pitchers yet. But this is the time to improve.”
Despite the loss, the Cougars remain in a strong position in the GIAA Class A rankings, sitting third behind Citizens Christian and Flint River Academy. “Compared to last year, it’s really great,” Nunez said. “Hopefully, these tougher games will help us, and we’ll get a bye in the playoffs. Our winning record could even allow us to host a playoff game.”
Their schedule didn’t let up as they traveled to Valdosta on Thursday for a tough non-region battle against the 3A/4A District 3 Valdwood Valiants (13-7, 4-3). The Cougars struggled early and fell 11-4, giving up seven runs in the first inning. Errors were an issue, with six miscues on the evening.
Despite the loss, several players found success at the plate. Designated hitter Aiden Whittaker, first baseman Daniel Johnson, and second baseman Jacob Elkins each had at least two hits.
Whittaker smacked a line drive single to center, bringing home Keith Eidson and himself in the first to give the Cougars an early 2-0 lead. Johnson doubled on a ground ball to left field in the third inning, later scoring on an error. Atkinson followed with a sacrifice fly, scoring Landon Temples and cutting the deficit to 7-4.
Eidson provided strong relief, throwing 87 pitches over 3.2 innings, striking out five, allowing just one earned run, and walking three. Alongside Elkins, the duo combined to pitch 5.2 innings against 30 Valwood hitters, recording six strikeouts.
The Cougars will return to action at the Grace Christian Athletic Complex on Tuesday, April 29, when they host the Crisp Academy Wildcats. They will then travel to play the Warriors, their last regular-season game, focusing on a rematch against SGA on May 5 at 4:00 p.m.
