Wednesday night, Panther baseball wrapped up region play by defeating Riverdale 18-0 and 15-0 in a mid-week doubleheader.

“We’ve definitely been working on strikeouts and keeping the ball in play and on the ground,” senior Charlie Clem said. “That’s really what Moseley’s been helping us with in the region.”

Starr’s Mill secured the region championship with a perfect 12-0 region record. They outscored region opponents 117 to 11. The team is taking a 21-2 overall record into the AAAA GHSA state playoffs next week.

The defense has been a key element to the team’s success this season, especially from a talented pitching staff. Seniors Heath Whitlock, Andrew Durham, Drew Richardson, Jack Ryan, Christian Mattingly and Jake Willoughby, have used their experience to lead the team. Meanwhile, juniors Aiden Wilson and Kyle Rudolph, who threw a no-hitter over spring break, and sophomores Brock Rein and Parker Williams consistently throwing strikes has kept the team on top of the region.

“We’ve got one of the deepest pitching staffs in all of high school sports,” Willoughby said. “We’ve just got a lot of talented guys, and we can get through games with them.”

Looking toward the playoffs, stakes are much higher for the team. They are now looking to their offense to step up and work on consistent hits to lighten the load of the pitching staff.

“For playoffs, we’re really working hard offensively,” head coach Brent Moseley said. “And being more aggressive, hitting fast balls, not getting bad counts.”

To begin the postseason, the Panthers host Hardaway High School in a double header on April 25.