North Cobb Christian turns focus to Wesleyan

As North Cobb Christian baseball prepares to take on Wesleyan in the Class A Private state championship series beginning Tuesday at Coolray Field, Eagles coach Jimmy Keane understands his team is by no means the favorite.

“I would say most people think that we’re heavy underdogs,” Keane said. “I think we’ve enjoyed having that mentality and the kids are really excited, they’ve had a good week of work and they’re just ready to play at this point.”

The series will open with a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 would begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

North Cobb Christian’s run to the championship has already been an underdog story. In 2021, the Eagles finished 12-14-1 and lost to King’s Ridge Christian in the first round of the playoffs.

The team flipped the script in 2022, improving to a 30-7 record including a 9-2 record over four playoff series to advance to the championship. NCC defeated Holy Innocents’ in three games and First Presbyterian in three as well before beating Prince Avenue Christian and Fellowship Christian in two games apiece.

“Every year is different and I think for our kids, some of them have never been there, never been on that stage,” Keane said. “I think that they’ve really done a good job of just focusing on themselves as a team.”

One of the biggest challenges North Cobb Christian will face during this series is dealing with Wesleyan outfielder Druw Jones, son of Atlanta Braves legend Andruw Jones. Jones is a projected top-two pick in July’s MLB Draft, and limiting his impact on the series will be key to the Eagles’ chances of pulling off the upset.

“There’s no doubt. He’s a game changer, he’s a playmaker,” Keane said. “There’s a reason he’s going to go so high in the draft and there’s so much excitement around him. As far as that goes, I hope all the attention stays on him. They can figure out how to deal with that and we’ll deal with our kids.”

Wesleyan returns to the state championship for the second straight season, having fallen to Mount Paran Christian to conclude last season’s playoffs. The Wolves earned revenge in last week’s semifinals, defeating the Eagles in three games, and now look to finish the job against NCC.

“We really don’t spend a lot of time talking about what the other team has done,” Keane said. “And I think they’ve understood that every team is going to have more or less experience depending on what round we’re in. At this point, we’re here because we feel like we’ve earned it, we deserve it, and I think that’s what they’re buying into.”