TIFTON — The Tiftarea Academy Panthers finished the 2018 baseball season in the semifinals, but it was big year for the team in Chula.

The Panthers won the GISA Class AAA Region 3 championship, their first in four years. They defeated Deerfield-Windsor, it, too, being the first time in four years. Later, with the region championship on the line, Tiftarea swamped the Knights, 19-7.

“I’m very proud, to do something Tiftarea hasn’t done in a while,” said first-year head coach Chance Benson.

Tiftarea rolled through the first two rounds of the state playoffs. They began with 13-3 and 10-5 victories over Edmund Burke Academy in the first round. In the quarterfinals, they edged a very game Gatewood by 8-5 and 8-7 scores. In the former, a three-run walk-off home run by Grant Hall in the bottom of the seventh secured the win.

Hall led the squad with a .411 average off 30 hits. His 26 runs scored were also a high mark for the squad. Hunter Hartsfield had 25 RBIs to lead in that category, with Hall and Cain Cooper each posting 17. Brandon Prudhomme had 14 RBIs. For runs scored, Cooper was second at 19 and Colby Grant was third at 16. Second and third in hits were Hartsfield’s 26 and Prudhomme’s 19.

On the mound, Prudhomme won six games. Limited by an injury late in year, Patterson won four times and Cooper won twice. Patterson and McRay Lentz had another season highlight with a combined no-hitter against Turner County.

Benson is giving his Tiftarea players a few days off before heading into summer ball. “Days off” may be a bit subjective. Nearly all of them also play football (which Benson assists), which has started its workouts.

With that in mind, the Panthers are only playing a handful of summer baseball games. Cook and Crisp County are two of only a few contests slated.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” said Benson.

The Panthers fell to Frederica Academy in the semifinals. Frederica ultimately finished as Class AAA’s runner-up to Trinity Christian of Sharpsburg, one the Knights forced to three games.

“They were really good,” he said.

Frederica had struggled in the first round against Valwood, but Benson said they made an adjustment in the lineup that made them almost unstoppable. Eric McCall had been Frederica’s third game starter against Valwood. They moved him to the No. 2 slot against the Panthers and McCall responded by giving up but three hits in five innings.

Tiftarea graduated five players in 2018. Moving into that slot are 10 juniors. Their experience will be much needed next season. Benson has faith in them.

“I think we’ll be well poised and ready to make another run at it,’ he said.

They will have to fill in a few slots. Two of the Panthers’ three primary starting pitchers graduated, Patterson and Cooper. Prudhomme is the only returnee. Benson has already had thoughts as to who might step up.

He said he has “several guys that can do it.” Among those are Lentz and Will Matt. Lentz came on strong late in the season with several big innings of relief. He pitched in all six of Tiftarea’s state playoff games and gave up only one earned run in 9.1 innings pitched. During that same stretch, he struck out 11 men.

Benson will also have to replace his home run hitters. Cooper and Hall had all five of the team’s smashes over the fence. Rising ninth grader Hayden Murphy will be one of those filling that void. Hartsfield also had his share of extra-base hits.

“I think that’ll come,” he said of power numbers. “We have several kids who are great athletes.”