It’s never happened before. Pulaski County has had some pretty good baseball teams in the past, as well as some very good individual players, but a Pulaski County High School Cougar Baseball team has never made it to this point. Friday at 2 p.m., the Cougars will play for a chance to make it to the biggest stage of them all.
If you’re not busy Friday morning at 8:30 a.m., the school and fans are planning a big sendoff as the teams leaves for Charlottesville. They will, as is tradition, be escorted out of town by some of our finest first responders.
Pulaski County will travel to Monticello High School, just outside of Charlottesville, to take on the York High School Falcons in the Class 3 State Semifinal game. The winner will move on to play the winner of the Liberty Christian Academy versus Lafayette game, set to take place at 11 a.m. on the same day, in the Class 3 State Championship game.
For the Cougars, who are the Class 3 Region D Champions, the task will not be easy. They come into the matchup with a record of 16-10. For anyone who has been watching, the Cougars have put together five wins in a row since opening the Region playoffs. It started with a 3-1 win over Northside (12-12). Next up, the Cougars shocked the 20-3 Magna Vista Warriors by a score of 4-0. Up next were the Cave Spring Knights (14-10), with the Cougars winning 5-3. In the Region Championship game, the first ever for a Cougar Baseball team, the Cougars defeated Lord Botetourt (15-9) on the road by the score of 7-4. The Cougars hosted Fluvanna County (18-6) Tuesday in front of a large crowd at historic Calfee Park. The final result, despite a rain delay, was a 12-5 win for Pulaski County.
The Falcons, who are the Class 3 Region A runners-up, defeated Class 3 Region B Champions Brentsville District 4-1. During the regular season they recorded wins against Warhill, Woodside, Grafton, Smithfield, Jamestown, Bethel, Lafayette, Bruton, and Tabb. Their losses came against New Kent, Poquoson, Lafayette, Tabb, Grafton, and Jamestown. They opened the playoffs with an 18-1 win over Norcom (1-19). They followed that up with a 12-2 win over Colonial Heights (13-7). Next, they took down Grafton (14-10) by a score of 3-2. They lost in the Region title game to Lafayette (14-11) by a score of 6-5. On June 4, they defeated Brentsville District (19-4) by a score of 4-1.
Head Coach Gregg Allen, who became head coach in August of 2018, and his staff have pulled together a group that may have made mistakes during the season, but have learned from those mistakes and moved forward. They play as a team and win or lose, have made history this season.
Game time Friday at Monticello High School (1400 Independence Way, Charlottesville, VA) is set for 2 p.m. The ride takes just over 2.5 hours. If you can, come out and support the Cougar Baseball team!