Benedictine. Savannah Christian and Calvary baseball teams primed for playoffs

The Benedictine baseball team had a strong showing in a Region 3-4A series with region leader Wayne County last week — taking two of three games from the Yellow Jackets. But Wayne County edged the Cadets 5-4 in the final game of the series Saturday to maintain a one-game lead in the region standings.

BC (18-9, 8-4 in region play) closes out the regular season this week with a three-game series against New Hampstead (5-19, 0-12) with games set for Monday (April 17) on the road, Tuesday at home and on the road again Thursday.

Wayne County (17-10, 9-3 in region) plays Southeast Bulloch (10-13, 5-7) Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. A loss in the series, accompanied by a sweep for BC, would result in a tie atop the region standings, with BC prevailing thanks to winning two of three against Wayne County.

The GHSA playoffs are set to start with best two of three series beginning on Monday, April 24.

Top local baseball players to watch The top high school baseball players to watch in the Greater Savannah area in 2023

What to expect in prep soccer playoffs What to know as 13 Savannah area soccer teams enter second round of playoffs

Top track and field athletes to watch Here are the top Savannah-area boys and girls track and field athletes to watch in 2023

Savannah Christian riding six-game win streak

Savannah Christian has won six games in a row, since a 3-2 loss to Calvary Day on March 29. The Raiders are leading the Region 3-3A standings with a 20-5 overall record and a 9-1 mark in region play.

SCPS and Calvary both have one region loss, and if the standings remain the same it would come down to a tiebreaker on run differential in head to heads between the two teams. SCPS has that advantage with the cumulative score in the two games being 7-5 in the Raiders' favor

SCPS beat Savannah Country Day 5-2 Tuesday and 9-0 on Saturday to maintain their status at the top of the region standings.

Daegan Strickland, who signed to play at Georgia Southern, is hitting .460 with a 1.266 OPS for the Raiders with a homer and 14 RBIs. Senior Josh Gates is hitting .449 with eight doubles, three homers and a team-high 21 RBIs. Jayden White is batting at a .394 clip with 19 RBIs. Ely Brown, who has committed to Mercer University, leads a strong pitching staff with a 4-0 record and an ERA of 1.75. B Burnsed is 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA and Trent Lanier is also 3-0 on the season.

SCPS closes out its regular season region schedule at home against Liberty County Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., then on the road to face the Panthers (13-11, 5-6) Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Calvary Day baseball playing well

Calvary Day (17-6, 8-1) hasn't let up since its loss to SCPS. The Cavs are 5-1 since, with the one setback a non-region loss to Troup County.

Junior Will Hampton, who has committed to Vanderbilt, is hitting. .417 with three homers and a team-high 24 RBIs. He is also 3-1 with a 2.44 ERA on the mound. Junior shortstop Caden Arnold is batting .434 with a team-high 31 runs and 13 steals without being caught. Freshman Quinn Johnson has been excellent on the mound, posting a 5-1 record and 2.62 ERA.

Calvary closes out the regular season with a two-game series against Long County, on the road Tuesday and at home at Grayson Stadium Thursday at 6 p.m.

Signing roundup

Woodville-Tompkins basketball duo staying local

Janiyah Heyward and Sanai Chisholm have been at the foundation of the Woodville-Tompkins girls basketball team's success during their high school careers, and last week the duo announced they would be staying close to home to play college ball.

Heyward signed to play at USC-Beaufort, while Chisholm will be playing at Savannah State. Both were All-Greater Savannah first-team picks and reached the 1,000 point milestone for their careers this season.

Heyward was named the Region 3A-Division I Offensive Player of the Year. She averaged 15.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Chisholm averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.9 steals.

"Janiyah doesn't talk a lot, but she gets the job done on the court and in the classroom," Woodville coach Jeffery Roberson said. "She is a very skilled player and I think she is going to have a chance to start right away in college. Sanai also has a high basketball IQ, she's a good shooter and can push the ball up court well. She is going to be an asset for SSU.

Benedictine football players headed to next level

Benedictine recently held a signing as football players Bo Tallevast and Jonathan Hardy set their plans for the future in motion.

Hardy, a standout linebacker who transferred in from St. John Bosco in Southern California for his senior year, signed with The United States Merchant Marine Academy in New York, while Tallevast will be playing at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville.

Hardy had 104 tackles and was a key defensively for a Benedictine squad that won its second straight Class 4A state title.

"Jonathan was like the quarterback of our front seven," BC coach Danny Britt said. "He's a very smart player who truly loves the game."

Tallevast played at tight end for the Cadets and was another senior leader on the team, Britt said.

"He's got the size and moves very well," Britt said. "I think he'll continue to develop at Georgia Military College."

Calvary trio signs

Calvary Day had three athletes announce their college plans on Wednesday as defensive lineman Tyler Padgett will join the Georgia Southern football team as a preferred walk on, while Brenn Prado signed to play lacrosse at Pfeiffer College and Tyler Frazee signed to play golf at Reinhardt College.

Calvary coach Mark Stroud said Padgett showed his team-first attitude when he was asked to move from the defensive line to the offensive line. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder will be back on the defensive line at GS.

"Tyler has great genetics with his size and speed, but he also has all the intangibles and has that relentless effort," Stroud said. "I think he's going to do well at Georgia Southern."

Frazee is just 5-foot-6 and 145 pounds, but he can blast drives up to 300 yards. He is having an excellent senior season for the Cavs and recently shot a 70 at Bacon Park to finish second to Benedictine's Hamp Threlkeld.

Frazee works at Crosswinds Golf Course, where he is able to work on his game consistently, helping him become one of the top players in the city.

"Tyler will hit balls until his hands bleed," Calvary coach Chad Carver said. "And he's a leader with our team — he takes the time to work with the younger players and is very encouraging with them."

Prado has been playing lacrosse for three years and the 6-foot, 210-pounder has developed into an excellent close defender.

"Brenn has that killer instinct, he plays aggressively and never lets up," Calvary Day coach Burnam Smith said. "He's the kind of player you never have to ask to turn things up with -- he leads the charge with his energy and passion."

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Benedictine, Savannah Christian & Calvary prepare for postseason runs